Радикалният проект на „Възраждане“
The Radical Project of „Vazrazhdane“

Summary/Abstract: The article is dedicated to „Vazrazhdane“ – the leading populist radical right (PRD) formation in the country, which aims for a deep transformation of the political system. The main research questions are two. First, what distinguishes „Vazrazhdane“ as an actor of change. Second, what is the reason for the comparative success of the party during 2021–2025. The results of the early parliamentary elections on April 19, 2026, in which „Vazrazhdane“ performed relatively poorly, have yet to be analyzed, but the article also addresses the issue of the electoral horizons for the party. It is particularly important to compare „Vazrazhdane“, on the one hand, with doyens such as „Ataka“ and the BSP, but also with the new „players in the neighborhood“: MECH, „Velichye“ and „Progressive Bulgaria“ (PB). These questions are not sufficiently clarified in existing research. The article attempts to fill the gaps in them. Here are the expected contributions – both conceptually and in a comparative sense. In my opinion, „Vazrazhdane“ takes more uncompromising positions than „Velichye“ and MECH, but, for now, it is more moderate than „Ataka“. The first part of the article specifies the main concepts, highlights and compares the party’s patriotism with the other political forces in the 51st National Assembly, as well as with the PB. The second part examines the emergence, development, reasons for the relative success and trends describing „Vazrazhdane“. Here I examine more specifically the issue of the radical nature of „Vazrazhdane“. The last part focuses on the party’s „friends“ abroad, such as AfD, NN and EP (United Russia). The work is based on the concept of PRD by K. Mudde, the definitions of Euroscepticism by Taggart and Szczerbiak, and the research on these formations in Bulgaria.The methods I use are: analysis of party documents, messages, the political behavior and election results of „Vazrazhdane“ and other political forces, secondary analysis of data from empirical research.

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