The question of the reform of the electoral legislation is one of the key issues that year after year arouses the interest of the domestic and international community at the level of meeting the political criteria for Montenegro to join the EU. For many years, messages have been coming from different addresses about the necessity of amending the electoral legislation when it comes to the community of Roma and Egyptians and the importance of securing their place in the Parliament. However, although the Constitution of 2007 proclaimed the rights of minorities as a constitutional principle in the legal system of Montenegro and amended the Law on the Election of Councilors and MPs several times, there was never an amendment aimed at equating the RE population with other minority peoples and other minority national communities. The result is that Montenegro has so far not provided adequate political representation of the RE population, both at the national and local levels.

This brief deals with the issue of political participation of the RE population from a normative-legal and sociological aspect, defining the basic concepts of political participation, analyzing the causes and shortcomings of the absence of political participation of the RE population in Montenegro and analyzing the importance and mechanisms of the inclusion of these two communities in decision-making positions.

The policy brief was created as a result of qualitative research within the project "On the way to the inclusion of the RE population in the decision-making system in Montenegro" implemented by CeMI with the financial support of the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights of Montenegro. The project aims to contribute to the inclusion of the RE population in the political life of Montenegro and to the strengthening of their capacities.

The purpose of this policy brief is to propose to decision-makers a set of recommendations for changes to the legal framework and other recommendations aimed at achieving equal and effective participation of members of the RE population in the political life of Montenegro. Also, we strive to draw the attention of both decision makers and the general public to the importance of including members of the RE population in political life, at the same time warning them of the effects their exclusion from it can have on the community and society as a whole. In the end, this policy brief aims to influence all elements of Montenegrin society with the aim of greater respect for rights and the realization of complete equality of the RE population in society as a whole.