No representation without recognition: The right to political participation of (National) minorities

Abstract

For members of ethno-cultural minorities, the right of political participation means more than the right to seek to influence the outcome of a process designed to aggregate individual preferences to find a decision acceptable to a majority of citizens. Effective participation of national minorities in public life requires specific arrangements to "facilitate the inclusion of minorities within the State and enable minorities to maintain their own identity and characteristics, thereby promoting the good governance and integrity of the State." 1 After an overview of the different approaches toward minorities and their political representation (which obviously determine the legal solutions adopted and consequently the judicial attitude), the paper deals with more specific rules on the political representation of minorities (such as participation at central, regional and local government level, special electoral rules, non-territorial arrangements, veto rights, consultative bodies, etc.) and their judicial interpretation in comparative analysis. In conclusion, the paper argues that the concrete recognition of effective rights of political participation by the courts depends on the set of values forming the basis of the constitutions. Any technical instruments for the implementation and guarantee of these rights can only be based on the political recognition of the representation and participation of minorities as a constitutionally legitimate aim (and value).Nothing is more certain than that virtual blocking out of the minority is not necessarily a consequence of freedom, but instead is diametrically opposed to the first principle of democracy: representation in proportion to numbers . . . A majority of the electors should always have a majority of the representatives; but a minority of the electors should always have a minority of representatives. 2

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