DOCSLIB.ORG

HOW EUROPEAN IS BULGARIA? the Case of Party System and Politics

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
HOW EUROPEAN IS BULGARIA? the Case of Party System and Politics HOW EUROPEAN IS BULGARIA? The Case of Party System and Politics By Isabella Manassarian Submitted to Central European University Department of Political Science In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Supervisor: Professor Anton Pelinka CEU eTD Collection Budapest, Hungary 2007 Abstract The aim of this thesis is to depict the level of Europeanization of the Bulgarian party politics. It was done by analyzing five different variables: 1. the nature of the electoral system itself, 2. voter turnouts in national parliamentary elections, 3. party-based Euroscepticism, 4. the nature of ethnic politics, and 5. the existence of ‘extreme trends’ in party politics. The situation in Bulgaria with regards to each of those is compared to that of Western Europe on the one hand and CEE on the other. The basic research question of this thesis is if the Bulgarian party system and politics does fall into the ‘Western’, i.e. Europeanized camp or not. The answer is provided on a ‘more-or-less’ continuum due to the complexity of the issue. An examination of each of the variables chosen has revealed that overall the case of Bulgaria is very unique. It is neither fully ‘Europeanized’, nor is it typically ‘Eastern’. Only in the case of the nature of the electoral systems, Bulgaria has displayed ‘Westernization’. With regards to the other four variables, one could notice that the various aspects of each of them show different trends in terms of their level of Europeanization, with some demonstrating typically ‘Western’, while others truly ‘Eastern’ perspectives, yet others proved to have the mixture of the features of the two. Keywords: Europeanization, Westernization, Bulgarian party politics, voter turnouts, electoral systems, party-based Euroscepticism, ethnic politics, right-wing extremism CEU eTD Collection i Acknowledgements First and foremost, I am grateful to my parents for their moral support during the process of researching and writing. Their advice and comments, as well as their assistance in organizing the personal interviews, helped me realize the ideas behind this project. I am deeply indebted to Dr. Levente Littvay for his constructive and critical comments on my drafts, as well as his patience in helping me code the quantitative model used in this thesis. My thanks extend to David Ridout for helping me polish the rough draft of the thesis. I am grateful to the Bulgarian students in CEU with whom I had elaborate discussions on the topic and who helped me in various translations that were used in this thesis. I would like to also thank Cristian Cercel for the time he took in giving me feedback on the comparative aspects of the thesis. And last, but not least, I want to express my utmost gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Anton Pelinka, for the help, guidance, and support he offered during the entire research process, as well as for his patience in reading all the chapters of the thesis, and his highly useful feedback. CEU eTD Collection ii Table of Contents 1. Introduction................................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Defining the concepts.............................................................................................................................4 1.2 Methodology..........................................................................................................................................6 2. Background information ............................................................................................................................9 2.1 Legal Framework...................................................................................................................................9 2.2 Historical Overview.............................................................................................................................13 2.3 Formation of the Current Party Politics................................................................................................16 3. The electoral system .................................................................................................................................21 4. Voter turnouts in national elections .........................................................................................................24 5. Euroscepticism..........................................................................................................................................31 5.1 Academic deliberations........................................................................................................................31 5.2 The case of Bulgaria ............................................................................................................................36 6. Ethnic politics ...........................................................................................................................................43 6.1 Comparative elements..........................................................................................................................45 6.2 The case of Slovakia.............................................................................................................................48 6.3 The case of Romania............................................................................................................................48 6.4 MRF as an ethnic formation in Bulgaria...............................................................................................49 6.5 MRF as a political party.......................................................................................................................51 6.6 Ethnic political parties in a comparative perspective ............................................................................53 7. Extremism.................................................................................................................................................58 7.1 The terms and the grounds for comparison ...........................................................................................58 7.2 Extremism in Bulgaria: The Coalition Attack........................................................................................60 7.3 Pan-European comparative perspective................................................................................................64 7.3.1 Romania.......................................................................................................................................65 7.3.2 Poland..........................................................................................................................................66 7.3.3 Slovakia .......................................................................................................................................66 7.3.4 France ..........................................................................................................................................67 7.3.5 Austria..........................................................................................................................................67 7.3.6 Other cases...................................................................................................................................68 7.3.7 Comparative assessment of right-wing radical parties in Europe....................................................69 CEU eTD Collection 8. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................72 Appendix 1....................................................................................................................................................80 Interview Summaries..................................................................................................................................80 Agop Garabedyan..................................................................................................................................80 Anastasia Moser....................................................................................................................................84 Ivan Atanasov Kolchakov......................................................................................................................87 Kostadin Paskalev.................................................................................................................................90 Marin Lessenski....................................................................................................................................93 Stanimir Ilchev......................................................................................................................................97 iii Stanislav Stanilov................................................................................................................................102 Tchetin Kazak.....................................................................................................................................105 Vasil Garnizov ....................................................................................................................................108 Appendix 2..................................................................................................................................................113 Electoral Systems.....................................................................................................................................113
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Bulgarian Restaurant Chevermeto
    EXHIBITIONS / Изложения January - June 2018 HELLO WINTER STORY Health and Sport FESTIVAL Здраве и спорт 20 - 21.01. International Tourist Fair HOLIDAY & SPA EXPO Международна туристическа борса 14 - 16.02. LUXURY WEDDINGS Wedding and Events Industry EXPO Сватбена и събитийна индустрия 23 - 25.02. BULGARIA BUILDING Building Materials and Machines WEEK Строителни материали и машини 07 - 10.03. Safety&Security SECURITY EXPO Цялостни решения за сигурност и безопасност 07 - 10.03. GRAND CHOCOLATE Chocolate and Chocolate Products FESTIVAL Шоколад и шоколадови продукти 10 - 11.03. BEBEMANIA – Baby and Kids Products SHOPPING Всичко за бъдещите и настоящи родители 16 - 18.03. VOLKSWAGEN CLUB Event for the Fans of the Brand FEST Събитие за феновете на марката 17 - 18.03. Machinery, Industrial Equipment and Innovative MACHTECH & Technologies INNOTECH EXPO Индустриални машини, оборудване 26- 29.03. и иновационни технологии Water and Water Management WATER SOFIA Води и воден мениджмънт 27 - 29.03. Woodworking and Furniture Industry TECHNOMEBEL Дървообработваща и мебелна промишленост 24 - 28.04. WORLD OF Furniture, Interior textile and home accessories Обзавеждане, интериорен текстил 24 - 28.04. FURNITURE и аксесоари за дома BULMEDICA / Medical and Dental Industry BULDENTAL Медицина 16 - 18.05. September - December 2018 HUNTING, FISHING, Hunting and Sport Weapons, Fishing Accessories, Sport Ловни и с портни оръжия, риболовни 27 - 30.09. SPORT принадлежности, спорт Communication Art, Print, Image, Sign COPI’S Рекламни и печатни комуникации 02 - 04.10. Aesthetics, Cosmetics, SPA, Health, Hair, ARENA OF BEAUTY Nail, Mackeup 05 - 07.10. Форум за здраве, красота и естетика Baby and Kids Products BEBEMANIA Всичко за бъдещите и настоящи родители 19 - 21.10.
    [Show full text]
  • Nationalism As Ideology: a Reflection on the Group Remaking Tendencies in Macedonia
    Nationalism as Ideology: A Reflection on the Group Remaking Tendencies in Macedonia Master Thesis for the award of the academic degree of Master of Arts (MA) at the Karl-Franzens-University of Graz submitted by: Branimir Staletovik at the Centre for Southeast European Studies Supervisor: Univ. Professor Florian Bieber Graz, 2015 Table of Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................1 The Rise of Nationalism in Macedonia................................................................................1 Chapter I: Nationalism as Ideology .....................................................................................5 Antiquization and Skopje 2014 – a critical reflection on the existing approaches ..............5 From Identity to Ideology ....................................................................................................8 Beyond Identity..................................................................................................................10 Nationalism as Ideology ....................................................................................................13 Thesis Goals and Methods .................................................................................................16 Nationalism in Macedonia and the Post-Yugoslav States..................................................18 Chapter II: The evolvement of ancient narrative in Macedonia and ‘diaspora’...........24 A Historical Reflection on the
    [Show full text]
  • Politics of Balance
    CENTRE INTERNATIONAL DE FORMATION EUROPEENNE INSTITUT EUROPEEN DES HAUTES ETUDES INTERNATIONALES Academic Year 2005 – 2006 Politics of Balance The Conjuncture of Ethnic Party Formation and Development in Romania and Bulgaria Lilla Balázs M.A. Thesis in Advanced European and International Studies Academic Supervisor MATTHIAS WAECHTER Director of the DHEEI Nice, June 2006 1 Contents 1. Introduction 2. The Emergence of the Two Ethnic Parties 2.1. The Birth of New Nation States 2.2. Romania: Revolution and the “Morning After” 2.2.1. Timisoara and the Fall of Ceausescu 2.2.2. The “Morning After” and Formation of the DAHR 2.3. Bulgaria: Revolution and the “Morning After” 2.3.1. The Fall of Zhivkov 2.3.2. The “Morning After” and Formation of the MRF 3. Politics of Balance: the Two Parties at a Closer Look 3.1. The DAHR and the MRF: Two Ethnic Parties in Context 3.1.1. Ethnic Parties 3.1.2. The Context of Minority Ethnic Parties 3.2. The DAHR and its Context 3.2.1. The DAHR—Ethnic Organization in National Politics 3.2.2. The DAHR in Context 3.3. The MRF and its Context 2 3.3.1. The MRF—Ethnic Party of a National Type 3.3.2. The MRF in Context 3.4. Ethnic Party Politics: Politics of Balance 4. The Dynamic of Ethnic Party Politics in Romania and Bulgaria 4.1. The DAHR and Political Developments in Romania 4.1.1. Radicalism and Isolation: 1992-1996 4.1.2. Electoral Revolution and Participation: 1996-2000 4.1.3.
    [Show full text]
  • IFES Faqs Elections in Bulgaria: 2021 Parliamentary Elections March 2021
    Elections in Bulgaria 2021 Parliamentary Elections Frequently Asked Questions Europe and Eurasia International Foundation for Electoral Systems 2011 Crystal Drive | Floor 10 | Arlington, VA 22202 | USA | www.IFES.org March 31, 2021 Frequently Asked Questions When is Election Day? ................................................................................................................................... 1 What is at stake in these elections? ............................................................................................................. 1 What is the electoral system? ....................................................................................................................... 2 Who is eligible to run as a candidate? .......................................................................................................... 2 Who is eligible to vote, and how many registered voters are there? .......................................................... 3 What are the campaign timeline and expenditure and donation limits?..................................................... 4 What is the election management body? What are its powers? ................................................................. 5 How is the election management body protecting the elections and voters from COVID-19? ................... 6 What is the election management body doing to strengthen its technology and procedures to resist vulnerabilities and counter malign interference? .......................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • PHD DISSERTATION.Pdf
    CHAPTER I Along the path of identity transformation of the different Albanian communities from their original Balkan environment to their destination in Italy as migrants The Albanian Issues and Identities - Introduction In 1912, noting the weakness of the Ottoman empire, the Albanian intellectual elite declared the founding of the Albanian state. Using the language and culture as bounds, they made the first step in erasing substantial cultural and religious differences and the creation of common identity between the Ghegs in Northern Albania and their Tosk cousins in the South. The newly founded state comprised, however, only a part of Albanian-inhabited lands while the rest was divided among the neighboring Slav states (Serbia and Montenegro) and Greece. A third of the Albanian population remained under the Serb and the Montenegrin administration, including the western coast of Lake Scutari, Kosovo and the western part of today’s Macedonia. Although this division had serious economic and psychological implications it was not the only reason for the Albanian discontent. In fact the Yugoslav state was from the beginning bitterly hostile to the ethnic Albanians. At first, the official state policy toward the “anti-national” and subversive Albanian element was one of the state sponsored assimilation through the Serbian education system. This policy, however, did not give the expected results and it was abandoned after it became clear that instead of aiding assimilation it was encouraging the growth of the Albanian national consciousness and oppositional activity. Considering that they were not able to assimilate them, the Serbian state authorities decided to adopt some more incisive policies of colonization and forced emigration.
    [Show full text]
  • Advancement of the Modern State Through Education: Bulgarians at Robert College 1863-1912
    Advancement of the Modern State through Education: Bulgarians at Robert College 1863-1912 Paulin Draganova June 2, 2018 Draganova 2 INTRODUCTION In the struggle of Bulgaria preceding the independence and after, the education Bulgarian students received at Robert College influenced the future direction of Bulgaria as a nation-state. The opportunity that Robert College provided was unique and appealing to Bulgarian students because of the location of the college and the quality of its education. Konstantin Stoilov, Stefan Panaretov, Todor Ivanchov, and Ivan Bagarov exemplify the types of men that graduated Robert College and actively had the opportunity to impact Bulgaria through their careers. Robert College’s qualities as a college that was American and taught curriculum that was American provided the ideas of modernity to their students. Through the use of ethnic identity to group students and the promotion of Bulgarian, the vernacular language for Bulgarian students in an academic and recognized setting, Robert College fostered nationalism that strengthened Bulgaria’s political and social environment to establish an independent democratic, market- oriented, modern nation-state. ROBERT COLLEGE’S IMPACT ON BULGARIA CAME FROM SO MANY BULGARIANS ATTENDING THE COLLEGE When Robert College was founded in 1863, Bulgaria was still part of the Ottoman Empire. Bulgarian students attended it before Bulgaria had gained independence from the Ottoman Empire and in the following years when the Third Bulgarian State was established. Robert College opened in Constantinople at a time when there was no quality education being offered to the Bulgarian subjects of the Ottoman Empire. Robert College provided an education that was located close to the Bulgarian provinces, and the education was at a high level, on par with American colleges at the time.
    [Show full text]
  • Content Analysis Baden & Stalpouskaya
    Methodological Framework: Content Analysis Baden & Stalpouskaya 17 September 2015 INFOCORE Working Paper 2015/10 COMMON METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK: CONTENT ANALYSIS A MIXED-METHODS STRATEGY FOR COMPARATIVELY, DIACHRONICALLY ANALYZING CONFLICT DISCOURSE Christian Baden1 & Katsiaryna Stalpouskaya2 1Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2Ludwig Maximilian University Munich INFOCORE Working Paper 2015/10 1 www.infocore.eu/results/ www.infocore.eu/results/ Methodological Framework: Content Analysis Baden & Stalpouskaya COMMON METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK: CONTENT ANALYSIS (EXECUTIVE SUMMARY) The “common methodological framework” sets out those elements of INFOCORE’s methodological strategy shared by the analyses of INFOCORE’s four content-analytic WPs. The framework departs from an understanding of discourse as the use of lexical indicators (in different languages and manifold variations) to express semantic meaning – meanings that can be compared over time, across conflicts, across media, across cases, and in many other ways. In order to meet INFOCORE’s complex analytic demands, the framework combines inductive with deductive approaches, applies mixed qualitative and quantitative methodology, and formulates a sequence of steps to ensure that the respective strengths of each part are integrated to inform subsequent steps. Specifically, INFOCORE follows three main stages. In the first stage, the involved WPs and conflict leaders gather material and input on the cultural richness and variability of conflict-related discourse. From a detailed, qualitative
    [Show full text]
  • Gibbs Umd 0117E 12639.Pdf
    ABSTRACT Title of Document: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEGITIMACY, TERRORIST ATTACKS AND POLICE Jennifer Catherine Gibbs Doctor of Philosophy, 2011 Directed By: Professor Laura Dugan Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Scholars often suggest that terrorism – “the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence to attain a political, economic, religious or social goal through fear, coercion or intimidation” (LaFree & Dugan, 2007, 184) – is a battle of legitimacy. As the most ubiquitous representatives of the government’s coercive force, the police should be most susceptible to terrorism stemming from perceptions of illegitimacy. Police are attractive symbolic and strategic targets, and they were victimized in over 12% of terrorist attacks worldwide since 1970. However, empirical research assessing the influence of legitimacy on terrorist attacks, generally, and scholarly attention to terrorist attacks on police are scant. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the influence of state and police legitimacy and alternative explanations on the proportion of all and only fatal terrorist attacks on police in 82 countries between 1999 and 2008. Data were drawn from several sources, including the Global Terrorism Database and the World Values Survey. Surprisingly, results of Tobit analyses indicate that police legitimacy, measured by the percentage of the population who have at least some confidence in police, is not significantly related to the proportion of all terrorist attacks on police or the proportion of fatal terrorist attacks on police. State legitimacy was measured by four indicators; only the percentage of the population who would never protest reached significance, lending limited support for this hypothesis. Greater societal schism, the presence of a foreign military and greater economic inequality were consistently significant predictors of higher proportions of terrorist attacks on police.
    [Show full text]
  • Diplomatic News in Focus
    MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA MDB No. 111 MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN AUSTRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SEBASTIAN KURZ VISITS MACEDONIA IN FOCUS diPLomaTic neWS Vienna MIGRATion ConFERence PACE DELEGATion VISITS Macedonia PAGE 5 INTERVIEW: H.E. MS. SRI ASTARI RaSJid, AMBASSadoR OF The RePUBLic OF IndoneSia TO The RePUBLic OF Macedonia ER 2016 PAGE 10/11 mb mounTain BeLASica WaTERFALLS – OVE N UniQue NATURAL BeauTY PAGE 4 PAGE 14/15 DIPLOMATIC NEWS MDB PRESIDENT GJORGE IVanOV PaYS Macedonian Diplomatic Bulletin was WORKING VISIT TO REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA founded in October 2006 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia. he President of the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, paid a working visit to the TRepublic of Bulgaria on 21–22 November. During the visit, he met with his Bulgarian counterpart, Rosen Plevneliev, and the President-elect of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev. Overall bilateral relations and possibilities to further bilateral and regional cooperation Filip II Makedonski 7, 1000 Skopje were discussed at the meetings. At a ceremony at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAN), Republic of Macedonia President Ivanov was awarded an honorary doctorate degree. On this occasion, he delivered a lecture titled “Migrations and Migrants: Challenges for the Third Millennium”. www.mfa.gov.mk [email protected] Editor: Vladimir Efremovski Editorial Board: Zuko Rizvanski, Shaban Jashari, Katerina Stavreska, and Sejfullah Shaqiri Adviser: Goce Georgievski Photo: Ljupco Blagoevski Published monthly by: Macedonian Information Centre Director: Dragan Antonov Chief Translator: Aleksandra Ilievska PRESIDENT GJORGE IVanOV ATTEndS MARRAKECH CLImaTE CHanGE CONFERENCE he President of the Republic of TMacedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, paid a working visit to the Kingdom of Naum Naumovski Borce 73, Morocco on 15–17 November to attend 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia the UN Climate Change Conference in www.micnews.com.mk Marrakech.
    [Show full text]
  • Presentation Adenauer 2 SJC Mihailova-ENGL.Supreme Judicial
    Seminar on: „Bulgaria and Romania on the Eve of Their Accession to the EU – Achievements and Challenges in the Judicial Systems”, organized on December 15 and 16 in Sofia by Konrad Adenauer Foundation Intervention of Ms. Anita Mihailova – member of the Supreme Judicial Council of the Republic of Bulgaria:”Achieving More Independence and Accountability of the Judiciary – Main Players, Main Themes” THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COUNCIL OF THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA – ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES The principle of independence of the judiciary is enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria. In general terms, this principle implies the exercise of the powers of judicial authorities both in accordance with the effective legislation and under the conditions of non-interference by the legislative and executive branches. The safeguards that ensure the observation of the independence principle are also regulated in the Constitution and are further developed in the effective Judiciary Act. On the one hand, the introduction of immovability and functional immunity is in itself a guarantee for magistrates’ personal independence in Bulgaria. The manifestation of this guarantee is interrelated with professional competence and responsibilities under the conditions of transparency and public control. Professional competence implies the use of appropriate methods in order to ensure that magistrates are appointed, promoted, assessed, and receive professional training in full conformity with the requirements of equal treatment, objectiveness, and competition. On the other hand, the establishment and functioning of the Supreme Judicial Council as a body of the judiciary is an institutional safeguard , which ensures that the principle of the independence of the judiciary is observed.
    [Show full text]
  • Party Politics in the Western Balkans
    Party Politics in the Western Balkans Edited by Věra Stojarová and Peter Emerson 2 Legacy of communist and socialist parties in the Western Balkans Věra Stojarová As Ishiyama and Bozóki note, the development of communist successor parties1 in post- communist politics has had an important effect upon the development of democracy (Bozóki and Ishiyama 2002: 393). In some countries the communist party was outlawed; in many cases it was transformed into a party of a socialist or social democratic character; elsewhere, the communist party began to take part in the democratic process, which led to varying results; in some cases, the party transformed itself into a classic socialist or social democratic party; while in other cases it retained a communist ideology. As the literature reveals, the type of the regime, the modus of transition, the manner of financing political parties, the organisation of the parties, as well as the whole political context, all matter. Ishiyama suggests that the patrimonial communist regime (as in Serbia) produced communist successor parties which had to distinguish themselves from the previous communist system and hence turned towards nationalism, while in a national- consensus regime (Slovenia, Croatia), the successor parties developed policies that divorced the party from the past, and led to the emergence of a social democratic identity (Ishiyama 1998: 81–2). Nevertheless, the application of the above- mentioned theory reveals the exceptionality of the Western Balkan countries. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the ethnic structure and the different goals of the three ethnicities had a great impact on the formation of political parties, which were mainly based on ethnic grounds, and left little space to the parties with a social democratic orientation.
    [Show full text]
  • Sovereignty Is Socially Constructed the State of and That It Changes with Time and Place
    WORLD HISTORY | POLITICAL SCIENCE Howland EXPLORES HOW STATES CONSTRUCT and White THEMSELVES AND HOW STATE FORMS SEEK TO BE SOVEREIGN THE Contributors “The multidisciplinary character of the contributions reinforces the focus of the work—that sovereignty is socially constructed the state of and that it changes with time and place. Nearly unique in Mark Philip Bradley presenting the diff erent operationalizations of sovereignty while s Keith Brown avoiding the superfi ciality of other attempts to do so.” TATE Frederick Cooper —William Reno, Northwestern University Kevin C. Dunn The State of Sovereignty examines how the nation-state became the prevailing form of governance in the world today. Spanning s Siba N. Grovogui the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and addressing colo- OVEREIGNTY OF Douglas Howland nization and decolonization around the globe, these essays argue that sovereignty is a set of historically contingent practices, and Aida A. Hozic not something that accrues naturally to states. The contributors explore the diff erent ways in which sovereign political forms s Martha Kaplan have been defi ned and have defi ned themselves, placing recent debates about nations and national identity within a broader OVEREIGNTY John D. Kelly history of sovereignty, territory, and legality. Aims McGuinness DOUGLAS HOWLAND is the David D. Buck Professor Leonard V. Smith of Chinese History at the University of Wisconsin– Territories, Milwaukee. David Tucker LUISE WHITE is Professor of History at the University Laws, Luise White of Florida. Populations 21st Century Studies—Daniel J. Sherman, editor Edited by Douglas Howland INDIANA Cover illustration from Leviathan by University Press Thomas Hobbes, courtesy Special Collections, and Bloomington & Indianapolis University of Virginia Library INDIANA http://iupress.indiana.edu Luise White 1-800-842-6796 THE STATE OF SOVEREIGNTY The State of Sovereignty: Territories, Laws, Populations is Volume 3 in the series 21st Century Studies Center for 21st Century Studies University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee daniel j.
    [Show full text]