“Do Not Play with Fire”: The End of the Bulgarian Ethnic Model or the Persistence of Inter-Ethnic Tensions in Bulgaria?

Abstract

The strong showing of the ultra-nationalist party, Ataka, in the 2005 parliamentary elections in Bulgaria on a platform of extreme nationalism and anti-Turkish rhetoric has called attention to the state of inter-ethnic relations in the country. The post-Communist period in Bulgaria has been underwritten by the “peaceful” character of majority–minority interactions. However, this article argues that it is such overexposure that has helped occlude the “strained” nature of the relationship between the Turkish minority and the Bulgarian majority. The article addresses this lacuna and details the problematic long-term perspective of inter-ethnic relations in Bulgaria. Such analysis depicts the emergence of Ataka, whose rise to public prominence has exploited the interstices of the alleged ethnic model. Accordingly, this article exposes the nationalist and anti-Turkish discourses of Ataka. In this way, it outlines the reasons for the end of the mythic Bulgarian ethnic model and reveals the pervasiveness of ethnic tensions in the country.