win a single seat. In Slovakia the few numbers of political parties has not aided them in achieving benefits for their population. "Relative cohesiveness among the Slovak Roma has not yielded benefits for the collective, mainly because the Slovak government has neglected the Roma and their problems."(Barany 320) A reason the Gypsies have had difficulty establishing themselves in government is because the majority of the Gypsy population is uneducated. These political parties lack quality leadership to accomplish the goals of their people. The lack of education that the Gypsies had under the socialist system and even more so now is prohibiting the Gypsies from becoming politically involved in the transition to democracy. There is one positive aspect of the transition to democracy for both the Czech Republic and the Slovak Gypsies. This is the formation if international organizations that are looking out for rights and well being for Gypsies in all of Eastern Europe. While some organizations existed before the collapse of communism their ability to change communist policy was limited. Since the collapse organizations like the European Union, United Nations, and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have actively been working to improve the rights of the Gypsies in Eastern Europe. The EU and OSCE have publicized the living conditions of the Gypsies and have denied membership into their organizations if state policy doesn't change. "For instance, one of the several reasons Slovakia was not included in the first group of states slated for NATO membership was its dismal treatment of ethnic minorities." (Barany 154) Recently the Czech Republic changed its citizenship law that discriminated against the Gypsies after the EU and other organizations called for them to alter it. Even though the Gypsies have had troubles getting politically motivated there are organizations out there that are looking after their best interests. The ...
