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Transformation of the Bulgarian Political Elite in the Period of Transition

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Transformation of the Bulgarian Political Elite in the Period of Transition View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by D-Scholarship@Pitt TRANSFORMATION OF THE BULGARIAN POLITICAL ELITE IN THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION. ITS IMPACT ON THE TRANSITION PROCESS by Emilia Zankina BA in Political Science and Communication & Rhetoric, University of Pittsburgh, 2000 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in International Affairs University of Pittsburgh 2010 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS This dissertation was presented by Emilia Zankina It was defended on May 3, 2010 and approved by Louis Picard, PhD, Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs Ilya Prizel, PhD, Research Professor, University Center for International Studies Dissertation Advisors: Carolyn Ban, PhD, Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs Ronald Linden, PhD, Professor, Department of Political Science ii Copyright © by Emilia Zankina 2010 iii TRANSFORMATION OF THE BULGARIAN POLITICAL ELITE IN THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION. ITS IMPACT ON THE TRANSITION PROCESS Emilia Zankina, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2010 This study examines the transformation of the Bulgarian political elite that took place with the transition from communist to post-communist society. Drawing on classical elite theory and contemporary research on East European elites, I argue that two sets of factors determine the nature of elite transformation – the presence of a counter-elite and the degree to which this elite is organized, and the effectiveness of the auto-transformative mechanisms of the ruling elite (i.e. intra-elite conflict and modes of recruitment). Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data gathering techniques, I analyze the nature and intensity of intra-elite conflict within the ruling communist elite; the emergence of an organized counter-elite; the extent to which the counter-elite was able to challenge the power of the ruling communist elite; and the difference in the composition and modes of recruitment of the communist and post-communist elites. In examining the process of elite transformation in Bulgaria, I address the wider and more important question of the role the elite played in the transition process and the impact it had on the transition outcome. East European transitions produced a variety of outcomes, with Bulgaria consistently lagging behind other countries from the region. Without viewing elite transformation as the sole explanatory variable, I argue that it significantly affected the outcome of the transition process. Elite action, more than anything, defines domestic and foreign policy choices, and hence, the direction and success of the transition process. Elite change in Bulgaria was defined by a strong and slowly reforming former communist party, unable to articulate a viable reform program; a weak and poorly organized opposition torn by internal conflict and lacking a unified vision of the transition and sound reform policy; and an opportunistic ethnic- based party changing allegiance every so often. This particular combination resulted in a sequence of unstable governments and reform policies that were stalled or reversed with each change in government. The nature of elite transformation in Bulgaria and the country’s difficult transition pose the question of the link between elite change and transition outcome – a connection that renders the elite variable the more so important. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE .................................................................................................................................... XI 1.0 THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE BULGARIAN POLITICAL ELITE IN THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE TRANSITION PROCESS: AN INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 FRAMING THE ISSUE ...................................................................................... 1 1.2 THEORIZING ELITE TRANSFORMATION IN EASTERN EUROPE ..... 5 1.3 POLICY IMPLICATIONS................................................................................. 9 1.4 METHODOLOGY AND ORGANIZATION ................................................. 11 2.0 APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF EAST EUROPEAN ELITES: INFERENCES FROM THE LITERATURE ........................................................................... 14 2.1 CIRCULATION VS. REPRODUCTION ........................................................ 15 2.2 ELITE CHANGE AND REGIME FORMS .................................................... 27 2.3 STUDIES OF BULGARIAN ELITES ............................................................. 44 3.0 THEORIZING ELITE TRANSFORMATION: REVISITING MOSCA AND PARETO ………………………………………………………………………………………...58 3.1 CHANGE AND CONTINUITY ....................................................................... 60 3.2 CIRCULATION OF ELITES .......................................................................... 63 3.3 ELITE RENEWAL ........................................................................................... 67 3.3.1 Technocratic and Populist Function ............................................................ 70 3.4 COUNTER ELITE ............................................................................................ 76 3.5 INTRA-ELITE CONFLICT ............................................................................. 82 v 3.6 ELITE TRANSFORMATION AND TRANSITION OUTCOME ............... 87 3.7 A MODEL OF ELITE TRANSFORMATION ............................................... 89 4.0 DEMOCRATIZATION IN EASTERN EUROPE AND THE BULGARIAN TRANSITION: HISTORICAL OVERVIEW .......................................................................... 93 4.1 DEMOCRATIZATION IN EASTERN EUROPE ......................................... 94 4.2 EVENTS IN BULGARIA 1989-2000 ............................................................. 102 4.2.1 First Post-Communist Governments, 1989-1991 ...................................... 104 4.2.2 Governments under the New Constitution ................................................ 112 4.3 THE DIFFERENT CONTEXT OF ELITE TRANSFORMATION IN BULGARIA ....................................................................................................................... 120 4.3.1 Legitimacy .................................................................................................... 121 4.3.2 Dissidence ..................................................................................................... 129 4.3.3 Transitional Justice ..................................................................................... 134 5.0 DATA GATHERING AND SAMPLES ................................................................. 147 5.1 ELITE AND COUNTER-ELITE ................................................................... 148 5.2 CADRE ............................................................................................................. 150 5.3 TIME PERIOD ................................................................................................ 152 5.4 ELITE ROSTERS ........................................................................................... 153 5.5 INTERVIEWS ................................................................................................. 162 5.6 NEWSPAPERS AND ARCHIVES ................................................................ 166 6.0 TRANSFORMATION OF THE BULGARIAN POLITICAL ELITE: EMPIRICAL FINDINGS ......................................................................................................... 170 6.1 BULGARIAN COMMUNIST PARTY (BCP)/BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY (BSP) ................................................................................................................... 171 6.1.1 Structure and Mode of Recruitment until 1989 ........................................ 171 vi 6.1.2 Intra-elite Conflict ....................................................................................... 175 6.1.3 Transformation of the Party after 1989 .................................................... 185 6.1.3.1 Political re-orientation and new structure ........................................ 185 6.1.3.2 Internal conflict after 1989 ................................................................ 188 6.1.3.3 Recruitment ........................................................................................ 191 6.2 UNION OF DEMOCRATIC FORCES (UDF) ............................................. 199 6.2.1 Organizing the Opposition .......................................................................... 199 6.2.2 Structure and Mode of Recruitment .......................................................... 202 6.2.3 Intra-elite Conflict ....................................................................................... 212 6.3 MOVEMENT FOR RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS (MRF) ........................... 216 6.3.1 Organizing MRF and Mobilizing the Ethnic Turkish Vote .................... 216 6.3.2 Structure and Mode of Recruitment .......................................................... 220 6.3.3 Role in Politics .............................................................................................. 226 6.4 OVERALL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE POLITICAL ELITE IN THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION ............................................................................................ 232 7.0 THE ROLE OF
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