Political Parties and the Participation of Minorities in the Political Life of Macedonia and Bulgaria

The article raises the issue of the functioning of those political parties which aspire to the role of the representatives of minorities in Bulgaria and in the Republic of Macedonia. In particular, whether the functioning of these parties is conducive to the eff ective integration of these groups into public life has been examined. The research showed that the role and the importance of a minority group in the system of state institutions is primarily determined by its size. Consequently, the issues related to the fi ght for the interests of minorities are fully monopolized by the parties of the Albanians (in Macedonia) and the representative of the Turkish community (in Bulgaria). This situation can cause tensions between the minorities