Idlir Lika's Study on Minority Representation in Montenegro Published

The Department of Political Science and International Relations faculty member Assist. Prof. İdlir Lika's research, titled "Against the Odds: Explaining Montenegrin Parties' Dominance of Minority Representation", was recently published in Nationalities Papers, a prestigious journal in the field.

In this article, Professor Lika delves into the distinctive political dynamics of Montenegro, where Bosniak and Albanian minorities have supported and been represented by mainstream Montenegrin parties rather than their ethnic parties. This phenomenon contrasts sharply with the experiences of similar minorities in neighboring Serbia and North Macedonia.

Professor Lika’s research explores how the unique nature of Montenegrin identity—characterized by a divide between Montenegrin and Serbian factions within the Orthodox majority—has positioned non-Orthodox minorities as critical political allies of the Montenegrin bloc. Drawing on original data from 12 parliamentary elections (1990–2023), municipal and national election results, and semi-structured elite interviews, the study offers new insights into the interplay of identity, electoral systems, and minority politics.

Published online on October 2, 2024, this research underscores Ibn Haldun University's commitment to advancing scholarly contributions to pressing global and regional issues.

We congratulate Dr. İdlir Lika and wish our valuable academician success in his work.

For further details, you can access the full article here.