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Albanians in Montenegro demand guaranteed mandates, letter to ambassadors, US and EU: Not a privilege, but European standards

2025-11-05 16:14:34Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Nick Gjeloshaj

The Albanian Forum in Montenegro announced that it had sent a letter to all ambassadors of the 27 European Union member states, the European Union Delegation to Montenegro, as well as the ambassadors of partner countries, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Albania and Kosovo, regarding "one of the key issues of Montenegro's democratic development: ensuring adequate and sustainable political representation of minority peoples, and in particular the Albanian community".

The letter, sent on behalf of the Albanian Forum by Nik Gjeloshaj, emphasizes that Albanians in Montenegro represent a native and only non-Slavic national and linguistic minority that has contributed to the country's development and identity for centuries.

"Despite this, their political representation continues to depend on a preferential electoral threshold and vote fragmentation, without any constitutional or legal guarantees. Such a solution is not in line with European standards and represents a permanent source of political instability," says the Albanian Forum.

They said that European practice "clearly shows different examples".

In Slovenia, the Italian and Hungarian minorities, which together constitute less than 0.5% of the population, each have one guaranteed representative in parliament and the right to veto laws relating to their rights (Article 64 of the Constitution); in Croatia, the Serbian minority with around 4.4% of the population enjoys three guaranteed parliamentary mandates, while all other minorities together have five more. Therefore, in the European Union member states, even the smallest communities have strong institutional protection and secure representation,” they stated.

They point out that Albanians in Montenegro make up about five percent of the population – ten times more than the Italian and Hungarian minorities in Slovenia combined – “and yet they are not guaranteed parliamentary seats.” “Their representation is reduced to the result of electoral calculations, which do not reflect their demographic and historical weight, nor the European standards that Montenegro aspires to meet,” the statement adds.

The Albanian Forum proposes a solution through changes in electoral legislation: at least four guaranteed parliamentary mandates for the Albanian minority in Parliament, through the model of corrective mandates; the right of veto by the majority of Albanian deputies over laws and acts that directly regulate the rights and freedoms of minorities.

"This is not a matter of privileges, but of European standards. Guaranteed representation and protective mechanisms are key to strengthening the trust of minority communities in institutions, preserving the multiethnic character of Montenegro and confirming the readiness of our state to implement European values ??and recommendations in practice," says the Albanian Forum.

They said that Albanians in Montenegro deserve political security that is “equal to or even stronger than that enjoyed by Italians and Hungarians in Slovenia, or Serbs and other minorities in Croatia.”

"We are convinced that the ambassadors will understand the importance of this issue and will support the initiative to provide Albanians with guaranteed representation of four parliamentary mandates and appropriate protection mechanisms through changes to electoral legislation," they added.

Only a Montenegro in which all peoples and communities are represented securely and equally can be a stable member of the European Union, the letter to the ambassadors concludes.

The Albanian Forum also calls on the Parliamentary Commission for Comprehensive Electoral Reform to accept this request, "in order to ensure fair and appropriate political representation of the Albanian people" in Montenegro.


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