What is the relationship between minority representatives and their constituents?
Like any other member of parliament some minority parliamentarians may be more beholden to their party leadership for their position, while others may be more dependent on their popular support among the voters. A Tamil MP in northern Sri Lanka may have strong ties to the Tamils in her district and be expected to articulate Tamil interests, while an Afrikaans speaking MP from the African National Congress list in South Africa may feel far less onus to be a representative of the Afrikaner, and much more an MP representing a party and an ideology. The relationship between parliamentarians and their constituents depends on how they are chosen and how they are held accountable. If minority parliamentarians are elected they are more likely to have close bonds to their constituents than if they are appointed. If they come from a closed list in a proportional representation system they may be more detached from voters than if they were elected from an open list system.
