Political Blackmail, Institutional Infighting, and Electoral Politics: The Fate of Governing Parties during the Great Recession (2008‐12) in Romania and Bulgaria

Abstract

Center‐right parties in government in Romania and Bulgaria navigated the economic downturns associated with the Great Recession (2008‐12), and introduced austerity policies, yet had different electoral fates. While in Romania, the Democratic Liberal Party experienced a dramatic loss at the December 2012 elections, in Bulgaria, the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria topped the May 2013 vote. In this article, we analyze these divergent outcomes, taking into account institutional configurations, strength of governing parties, and economic conditions. We argue that the electoral effects of harsh economic policies are conditioned by differences in the institutional aspect of governmental “clarity of responsibility” during the peaks of the recession. These differences in institutional clarity become then key factors in understanding the electoral fates of the center‐right parties in these governments.Related Articles Exadaktylos, Theofanis, and Nikolaos Zahariadis. 2014. “.” Politics & Policy 42 (): 160‐183. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12058/abstract König, Pascal, and Georg Wenzelburger. 2014. “.” Politics & Policy 42 (): 400‐430. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12076/abstract Dettrey, Bryan. 2013. “” Politics & Policy 41 (): 788‐806. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12038/abstract Related Media Al Jazeera English. 2013. “Bulgaria Elections Gripped by Deadlock.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY8HvL5Bb5Q 2012. “Corruption Big Issue in Romanian Elections | Journal Reporters.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhmYhAP0zak