Minority Rights and Realpolitik: Justice-based vs. Pragmatic Arguments for Reserving Seats for National Minorities
Abstract
This article explores the arguments used in parliamentary debates, in 2008, to justify the adoption of reserved seats for national minorities in local parliaments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Content analyses of two parliamentary debates at the state level and nine municipal assembly sessions reveal two dominant frames: an 'obligation frame' and a 'constituent peoples frame'.
The former refers to the adoption of reserved seats for minorities as an international and legal obligation, while the latter challenges this institution, emphasizing the rights of the three constituent peoples (Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs) to be guaranteed reserved seats in addition to, or in place of, national minorities. Interestingly, the frame based on an idea of justice and suggesting the right of minorities to political representation is absent from parliamentary debates.
The article discusses the implications of these findings, with a reference to the functioning of the institution of reserved seats in the long run.