Bulgaria—Protest Movements Transforming the Party System

This chapter contributes to the broader literature on political change in East-Central European democracies by tracing the main mechanisms through which protests and movements transform electoral and party politics. Our analysis has shown that in today’s democracy, protest cycles and protest movements have a significant impact on political developments. The recent mass protest waves and seven consecutive parliamentary elections in Bulgaria provide ample empirical material. The findings show that protest waves and movements can increase electoral instability by leading to a sharp decrease in public trust in the national governments and parliaments, or in extreme cases, to the overthrow of the cabinet. By provoking electoral instability and declining trust in traditional parties, protest mobilisations open political opportunities for new political parties, such as protest parties and movement parties. Protests can provoke new and resurrect old political cleavages. To situate the recent developments within a broader context, we start with a historical overview of the Bulgarian party system dynamics and the building of capitalism since the beginning of the transformation. Then, we continue with mapping the tradition of protest mobilisations after the fall of communism. Next, the chapter describes the new protest waves and movements in the period since 2008. Finally, we explore the six mechanisms through which protests and movements induce change in the party system.