This paper investigates how ethnicity was politicized, to what purpose, and with what outcomes. To explore the evolution and nuances of majority-minority relations we use a single-case study approach (post-communist Romania) that is covered for more than two decades (1990-2011). We use discourse (of political elites) and document (party programs and legislative texts) analysis. Our empirical evidence illustrates how politicization can be a process producing two types of effects for the inter-ethnic relations. Moreover, we show that the structures of opportunity in ethnic relations (i.e. minority rights legislation) lead to different outcomes for the integration of ethnic minority groups over time.