What factors may determine the number of minority representatives?
Institutional factors (the rules of the political game) and socio-cultural factors (the attitude of society as a whole to their minority members) are the primary determinants of the number of minority parliamentarians elected to any given parliament. Minority representatives are also more likely to be present in parliaments produced by peace agreements in post conflict states. When it comes to institutions a variety of factors come into play: • how many minority candidates ran for office? We would expect candidature to be the first hurdle to minority electoral success and if it is difficult for minorities to be candidates then their numbers will be suppressed in parliament. Political parties act as gatekeepers in the process of choosing candidates and they also need to recognize the benefits of minority inclusion. • Are minority parliamentarians elected from “minority” parties or do they sit on the benches of majority and multi-ethnic parties? If political parties see electoral gain in
