За упадъка на българската демокрация (Защо хората не искат да гласуват)
On the Decline of Bulgarian Democracy (Why Don’t People Want to Vote?)

Summary/Abstract: The article substantiates the thesis that the Bulgarian democracy established in this country at the end of the last century is currently in a state of a decline. The main argument is that the electoral activity of the Bulgarian citizens is constantly declining and the Bulgarian democracy is on the verge of losing its main instrument – elections as a means of expressing the people’s will. In this regard the author substantiates the thesis of the great Bulgarian writer and public figure Stoyan Mihaylovski that democracy is not a value in itself but a means for achieving values: under certain conditions related to the culture of the nation this means is useful but under other conditions it is not. This means that the “sentimental” attitude to the Bulgarian democracy related to its idealization must be overcome. The article consecutively dwells on three main reasons for the electoral passivity of the Bulgarian citizens: 1. Electoral skepticism (distrust in politics); 2. Disgust (loathing) with politics based on a negative attitude to the morality of politicians; 3. Indifference (apathy) as a specific type of worldview orientation characteristic of our time. In conclusion, a question is posed, the answer to which is unknown: can a radical change needed by the Bulgarian political system of today be accomplished through democratic means?

• Details
• Contents