The Evolution of North Macedonian Consociational System

Abstract

Comparative politics has debated the effectiveness of the two basic models of conflict management, namely consociational and integrative. According to a widespread opinion, consociational mechanisms preserve inter-ethnic tensions and hinder the building of a state identity based on citizenship. The article focuses on North Macedonia, where consociational mechanisms have been applied since the 2001 armed clashes to mitigate the deep contradictions between the Macedonian majority and the Albanian minority. Applying comparative analysis and geographical method, the study attempts to answer the question of where the consociational polity under study is evolving and whether it is possible to build a state identity based on citizenship rather than ethnicity. The analysis of parliamentary elections in North Macedonia in 2002-2020 shows that until 2016 the popularity of radical Albanian parties declined, though then dramatically increased, and up to the present two centripetal tendencies can be seen, which are an increase in ethnic minority support for national parties and more active cooperation between large and small parties before the elections.

Keywords

• north macedonia
• consociation
• albanians
• ethnic parties
• identity