Print version: Why are there so few Roma politicians?
Whereas in 1990 there were eight Roma MPs in the Czechoslovak Parliment, today there are none and candidates who belong to the minority have not had much success in the recent communal elections either. Although individual cases of success exist, they are extremely rare. Reasons behind the lack of Roma representation in politics include negative cononations with the minority among majority voters, a lack of popular candidates and low election participation among members of the Roma minority themselves.
In November 1989 Emil Ščuka, one of the foremost Roma activists delivered a speech on Prague’s Letna Plain, which was quite reminiscent of Martin Luther King. Saying that he wanted ‘our children and your children to be like brothers and sisters’.
At first the hopefulness seemed to be justified, as eight Roma candidates succeeded in the Parlimentary elections a few months later, running on the list of the Civic Forum. Since then however, the number of Roma MPs has been steadily dwindling, with no member of the community currently in the state’s highest legislative body. The situation in communal politics is only slightly better.
Sociologist, Ivan Gabal, is more optimistic. He says that there is an increasing number of significant Roma personalities.
Mr. Banga agrees that it is up to political parties to place more representatives from the Roma community on their candidate lists and sees the communal elections as an ideal opportunity.
However, he is much more sceptical. The word ‘Roma’, according to him, has become a tagline which people automatically associate with ‘unconforming parasites’.