Back Europe: Central & Eastern: Roma Initiative Political Context Roma Resources Roma Newsletter, November 2007 (PDF) Roma Political Leadership Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria, November 29 - December 2, 2007, Conference Report (PDF) Survey on the Political Participation of Roma in Romania, August 2006 (PDF) Roma Participation in the 2006 Slovak Parliamentary Elections From Promises to Policy: Slovak Roma Hold New Government Campaign Pledges Slovakia Regional Election Report, December 2005 Polling on Roma Political Participation in Slovakia, September 2005 (PDF) Bulgaria Parliamentary Election Report, August 2005 Polling on Roma Political Participation in Bulgaria, March 2005 (PDF) Roma comprise sizeable percentages of the population in Central and Eastern Europe—up to 10 percent in some countries—but are under-represented in mainstream politics, including elected office. Roma have been unable to use the political process to solve the massive economic, social, and human rights problems that afflict their communities. Full political participation—voting in elections, securing government representation, and creating a tradition of political activism—offers the best way for Roma to improve their social status and material conditions. NDI Roma Political Participation Initiative NDI launched a regional Roma initiative in 2004 with funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The initiative centers on training groups of Roma activists in political organizing, issue advocacy, and election preparation. In addition to this core training, NDI runs regional networking programs and conducts election and political participation research of Roma communities. The initiative is centered in Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia, with smaller scale programming in nearby countries. The Open Society Institute (OSI), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the Council of Europe have joined the NED in sponsoring the initiative. As part of this effort, NDI has created country advisory boards that include Roma and minority issues experts to help guide the initiative. NDI assists Roma in increasing their political activism as a necessary means to address and solve deep-seated problems of poverty and discrimination. Political Skills Development In 2006, NDI began the third round of its political leadership training series in Bulgaria and Slovakia, as well as first-round training in Romania. Each training cycle provides 25 emerging Roma leaders in each country with skills in campaign organization, public communication, constituent relations, policy development, and conflict resolution. NDI continues to work with 100 program graduates in Bulgaria and Slovakia by providing advanced training and assistance for their political and civic initiatives. Public Opinion and Election Research NDI conducted the first-ever public opinion research on Roma political attitudes in Slovakia and Bulgaria, respectively, in 2005, and in Romania in 2006. The polls identified issues important to Roma and offered insights into their attitudes and party preferences. Roma and mainstream parties have used the data to develop campaign strategies, policy priorities, and outreach methods prior to recent elections. NDI has also produced research reports on Roma participation in national and regional elections in Bulgaria and Slovakia. Public Issue Advocacy NDI is working with Roma political and civic activists on issue advocacy campaigns at national and local levels: Slovakia’s New Roma Generation, an NGO formed by NDI program participants, has successfully advocated for the inclusion of Roma policies in the election platforms of political parties and in the official government plan of action. NDI Bulgaria participants successfully petitioned for the creation of the National Anti-Discrimination Committee and pressured a political party into excluding a parliamentarian from its candidate list due to derogatory remarks made against Roma. As a follow-up to a meeting between NDI participants and Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov, NDI hosted a National Roma Education Forum that produced recommendations to parliament on improving Roma educational opportunities. NDI has begun to assist the recently created League for the Decade of Roma Inclusion, an advocacy coalition of Serbian NGOs, on organizational development and advocacy training. Success at the Ballot Box To help increase the number of elected Roma officials, NDI is working with candidates to strengthen their campaign skills: Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov discusses education reform policy with Roma activists trained by NDI in political representation and advocacy. In Slovakia, where NDI conducted training for candidates in the 2005 regional elections, Roma candidates conducted Get-Out-The-Vote efforts for the first time, developing concise and consistent messages and canvassing voters door-to-door. Together with Roma program graduates, NDI is training Roma candidates for Slovakia’s 2006 local elections. In Macedonia, NDI campaign simulations helped Roma parties to increase their vote in 2006 parliamentary elections, which doubled their parliamentary seats. In Serbia, NDI is assisting the newly formed Roma Union as it prepares for parliamentary elections in January 2007. NDI is promoting cooperation between Roma and mainstream parties. In Bulgaria, NDI held a coalition-building seminar among Roma and non-Roma parties, which led to the creation of a Roma platform by the Bulgarian Socialist Party. NDI provided assistance to Slovakia’s Roma Civic Initiative in forming pre-election coalitions with mainstream parties in recent elections. Good Governance Elected Roma officials must govern effectively to earn the trust of the Roma electorate and to represent their interests. To this end, NDI conducted targeted governance training for Roma local councilors in Bulgaria and Slovakia to develop their skills to reach out to constituents, negotiate with mainstream parties, and represent their concerns in policy discussions. In Bulgaria, NDI trained MPs representing districts with large Roma populations on constituency outreach. Cross Border Cooperation NDI holds an annual region-wide Roma Leadership Academy, which brings top participants together with Roma activists from throughout Europe for advanced training and networking. The 2006 Academy in Bucharest, which gathered 24 emerging Roma political leaders from eight countries, included sessions on Roma inclusion in political affairs and a local election campaign simulation. Contact Information NDI conducts programs in Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia. For more information on NDI's Roma program, please contact: Megan Volk Unangst in Washington, D.C. at 202-728-5670 Send Email Sevdalina Voynova in Sofia at 359-2-980-7760 Send Email Scott Andersen in Bucharest at 402-1-3139-452 Send Email Zuzana Dzurikova in Bratislava at 421-2-5464-3034 Send Email. Updated February 2008 Back