DEMOCRACY IN BULGARIA: ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

Aim. To analyze the formation and assess the dynamics of the development of democratic institutions in Bulgaria since the late 1980s until now.Methodology. The methodological basis of the study is the theory of “defective democracy” by V. Merkel and A. Croissant. The study of the formation and development of democratic institutions in Bulgaria was carried out on the basis of comparative and institutional approaches. The process of democratization of the Bulgarian state and society was evaluated according to three criteria: the formation and development of the party system, the activities of the media and their interaction with state political institutions, the level of corruption and bureaucratization in the country. The empirical basis of the article was the analysis of political cases of recent years, as well as an assessment of the dynamics of freedom indices, freedom of the media, perceptions of corruption, etc.Results. It has been established that the functioning of “defective democracy” in Bulgaria is facilitated by a number of factors: the dependence of the media on the apparatus of public power and financial oligarchic structures, the lack of an effective judicial system, changes in the party landscape (increasing popularity of populist, ultra-radical and anti-European parties), a high level of corruption. However, despite the presence of a number of problems that Bulgaria is experiencing, at present there is no general crisis of democracy in the country.Research implications. The study gives an idea of the features of democracy in Bulgaria, the reasons for the failures of the received Western model of democracy, crises in the socio-economic and political spheres. The author offers an explanation for the dissatisfaction of a part of the Bulgarian society with the current policy. The main provisions and conclusions of the work can be used in the educational process when teaching a number of political science disciplines (“Fundamentals of Democracy”, “Political Regimes”), as well as in the practical activities of social activists and other political subjects.