Podgorica, (MINA) – The Albanian voice in the Parliament should be further strengthened through fair electoral reform, that ensures adequate representation through guaranteed mandates, said leader of the Albanian Forum Nik Gjeloshaj, adding that claims that the current model of electoral legislation is affirmative for minority communities are false.

Nikola Rakocevic, Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) MP, said at a press conference, that guaranteed mandates are a form of affirmative action that ensures that representatives of ethnic minority parties enter the parliament, even if they do not reach three percent threshold.

In his response, Gjeloshaj stated that the removal of guaranteed mandates for Albanians in 2011 was agreed upon by the DPS and the Socialist People’s Party (SNP), behind closed doors, despite clear opposition from Albanian political representatives.

As he stated, the consequences of such a model are visible in practice.

“In the 2012elections, about 6,000 votes were needed for one mandate of the Albanian parties, while about 4,000 votes were sufficient for other parties. An even more pronounced example occurred in 2016, when about 9,000 votes were needed for one mandate of the Albanian parties, compared to approximately 3.800 votes for the others”, Gjeloshaj pointed out.

According to him, this is not an affirmation of minority rights, but a systemic injustice that must be corrected.

He said that the indigenous Albanian voice will continue to be heard clearly and strongly in the Parliament of Montenegro, despite decades of disputes.