EUROPEANIZATION OF THE BULGARIAN PARTY SYSTEM: DYNAMICS AND EFFECTS
EUROPEANIZATION OF THE BULGARIAN PARTY SYSTEM: DYNAMICS AND EFFECTS

Summary/Abstract: The traditional explanations of the party system transformations usually rely on domestic factors. However, there is growing research on the impact of European integration over party politics. This impact is even greater in Central and Eastern European Countries and Bulgaria is no exception. The Bulgarian party system is fragile and fragmented. It has entered a new phase of transformation since the 2001 elections. This article examines the impact of the European integration over this transformation. The article argues that its impact is significant, since the parties are focused on the European cleavage, and the European party families play a key role in the formulation of their behavior and electoral strategies. Moreover, the paramount importance of membership in the European Union predetermined the other explanatory factors. European integration is the environment for the formation of the contemporary party system in Bulgaria. However, the effects of Europeanization appear not to be only positive. It turns out that along with consolidation of the party system, it provokes rise of populism which hinders professionalization of the Bulgarian political elite and thus, the political process suffers ineffectiveness.

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