Minorities stripped of election privilege

why am i not suprised. they are called minorities for a reason. Kosovo ratifies a constitution that guarantees the rights of minorities, and serbia does the oppossite in the same day.

While Kosova adopts it's first Constitution with major minority rights, Serbia does the opposite.

And they wonder how come world's strongest democracy states support us? Well, there you have it, in black and white.

Francis

1. Firstly what is wrong with equality for all? No citizen should have special treatment, all should be treated the same.
2. PISG in Pristina can write/sign/declare anything they want but the reality in KiM is that minorities are under constant threat and have to be protected behind barbed wire by foreign troops. Please tell me in which part of Serbia minorities have to live in protected ghettos (apart from KiM of course)?

How ironic the only people actually complaining about this decision are people outside of Serbia....

The law is the law, there are more than 10 000 ethnic minorities of all kinds in Serbia so they should have no trouble reaching this quota. The law makes prefect sense as it limits the amount of political parties in the country.

Francis get real, Kosovo's constitution is not worth the paper its written on. Everyone is equal? Gee that sure reminds me of a passage by George Orwell "Everyone is equal...but some are more equal than others" Kosovo moving froward? LOL oh my goodness I feel all warm and fuzzy inside now.

jack:

so, your definition of "equality" entails preventing political participation of a whole group? i would love to engage in semantics with you, but I sense it would be a waste of time.

I am glad Kosovo is moving forward.

Just go on on that ultranationalist path, and you will soon see Romania recognizing Kosovo

The Ahtisaari plan is full of statements like "in areas where they represent a SUFFICIENT share of the population in accordance with the law" or "in accordance with the law and international standards" and my favorite "In municipalities where at least ten per cent(10%) of the residents".

What exactly is the standard going to be under the so called Kosovo government?

I hardly think going from 3,000 to 10,000 in a country the size of Serbia is such a horrible thing. What exactly are the standards in England and France and Germany for their minorities? I think you'd find that Serbia is just as reasonable as the Western Countries are, if not more so.

"Semantics"
Have you been reading your dictionary again Francis? I love semantics, it is the very essence of a good debate.

I don't see how applying one rule for all can be discriminatory or are you a proponent of American style affirmative action? In my country (UK) minorities join one of the main parties and then seek to influence party policy in favour of their agenda. They don't feel disenfranchised, they get better results than if they formed their own independent party and by adding to the millieu of politic everybody benefits. I don't see why this should not be the case in Serbia. It also stops their from being hundreds of little parties forming coalition governments which often end with hung parliaments and unstable governance.

***
You are right, the Kosova constitution isn't worth the paper its written on. Let's hope they printed it on super soft two ply so at least it will be useful for some thing.

Ment
I see no problem comparing Serbia's human rights record to that of the PISG-KLA-IC monstrosity in Kosovo.

As usual... SRS the charmers!

Jack...
I would not draw parallels with Kosovo. The only hypothetical question you may ask is... "would, say, the Hungarian minority have to live behind barbed wires, had Hungary attacked Serbia and left the country in ruins?

Typical isn't it?

The Hungarian parties don't have a problem with this. The Bosniak parties don't have a problem with this. It seems once again the only ones to have a problem are the Albanians.

Stop complaining and get a life.

I thinks it's absolutely ridiculous for a country the size of Serbia to have 'a million' different political parties, no wonder the coalition of 100 parties keeps falling apart. I think it's a reasonable adjustment to the process, and it ensures votes don't get dissolved amoungst a plethora of parties. I wonder what the illegal government of Kosovo has proposed in it's 'constitution'.

this article could be called: "democracy and respect for the human rights of all minorities, serbian style."

can ANYone really say they are surprised by this "democratic" move?? anyone??

why am i not suprised. they are called minorities for a reason. Kosovo ratifies a constitution that guarantees the rights of minorities, and serbia does the oppossite in the same day.

While Kosova adopts it's first Constitution with major minority rights, Serbia does the opposite.

And they wonder how come world's strongest democracy states support us? Well, there you have it, in black and white.

jack:

so, your definition of "equality" entails preventing political participation of a whole group? i would love to engage in semantics with you, but I sense it would be a waste of time.

I am glad Kosovo is moving forward.

Just go on on that ultranationalist path, and you will soon see Romania recognizing Kosovo

Francis

1. Firstly what is wrong with equality for all? No citizen should have special treatment, all should be treated the same.
2. PISG in Pristina can write/sign/declare anything they want but the reality in KiM is that minorities are under constant threat and have to be protected behind barbed wire by foreign troops. Please tell me in which part of Serbia minorities have to live in protected ghettos (apart from KiM of course)?

As usual... SRS the charmers!

Jack...
I would not draw parallels with Kosovo. The only hypothetical question you may ask is... "would, say, the Hungarian minority have to live behind barbed wires, had Hungary attacked Serbia and left the country in ruins?

Typical isn't it?

The Hungarian parties don't have a problem with this. The Bosniak parties don't have a problem with this. It seems once again the only ones to have a problem are the Albanians.

Stop complaining and get a life.

this article could be called: "democracy and respect for the human rights of all minorities, serbian style."

can ANYone really say they are surprised by this "democratic" move?? anyone??

How ironic the only people actually complaining about this decision are people outside of Serbia....

The law is the law, there are more than 10 000 ethnic minorities of all kinds in Serbia so they should have no trouble reaching this quota. The law makes prefect sense as it limits the amount of political parties in the country.

Francis get real, Kosovo's constitution is not worth the paper its written on. Everyone is equal? Gee that sure reminds me of a passage by George Orwell "Everyone is equal...but some are more equal than others" Kosovo moving froward? LOL oh my goodness I feel all warm and fuzzy inside now.

I thinks it's absolutely ridiculous for a country the size of Serbia to have 'a million' different political parties, no wonder the coalition of 100 parties keeps falling apart. I think it's a reasonable adjustment to the process, and it ensures votes don't get dissolved amoungst a plethora of parties. I wonder what the illegal government of Kosovo has proposed in it's 'constitution'.

The Ahtisaari plan is full of statements like "in areas where they represent a SUFFICIENT share of the population in accordance with the law" or "in accordance with the law and international standards" and my favorite "In municipalities where at least ten per cent(10%) of the residents".

What exactly is the standard going to be under the so called Kosovo government?

I hardly think going from 3,000 to 10,000 in a country the size of Serbia is such a horrible thing. What exactly are the standards in England and France and Germany for their minorities? I think you'd find that Serbia is just as reasonable as the Western Countries are, if not more so.

"Semantics"
Have you been reading your dictionary again Francis? I love semantics, it is the very essence of a good debate.

I don't see how applying one rule for all can be discriminatory or are you a proponent of American style affirmative action? In my country (UK) minorities join one of the main parties and then seek to influence party policy in favour of their agenda. They don't feel disenfranchised, they get better results than if they formed their own independent party and by adding to the millieu of politic everybody benefits. I don't see why this should not be the case in Serbia. It also stops their from being hundreds of little parties forming coalition governments which often end with hung parliaments and unstable governance.

***
You are right, the Kosova constitution isn't worth the paper its written on. Let's hope they printed it on super soft two ply so at least it will be useful for some thing.

Ment
I see no problem comparing Serbia's human rights record to that of the PISG-KLA-IC monstrosity in Kosovo.