Populism, Radical Right, and Socialist Nostalgia in Bulgarian Politics (TruLies-Blog by Prof. Emilia Zankina)
According to Professor Emilia Zankina, Bulgarian populism and right-wing parties are indeed similar, but not equal compared to their counterparts in Eastern and Western neighbouring countries. Referring to the historical legacy of the post-communist country, Zankina explains major differences of the Bulgarian case which she qualifies as being a “unique” one in her TruLies blog post. She further points out that copying right wing populists or integrating them into governmental positions might not be an advisable strategy for established parties. Instead of triggering a “contamination of the entire political spectrum”, politics and society should rather address the underlying causes of radical right-wing populism in a long-term perspective.
The project “TruLies – The Truth about Lies on Europe”, aided by the Stiftung Mercator and run by the Institute for European Politics (IEP) in cooperation with Das Progressive Zentrum, has two principal objectives. On the one hand, it strives to deconstruct Eurosceptic and populist prejudices, animosities, and false assertions, by means of social scientifically-grounded analysis. Thus, it aims to contribute to a rationalisation of the public discourse and debate in Germany (and beyond). On the other hand, “TruLies Europe” endeavours to publicly communicate its findings beyond the select circle of scholars to political actors, civil society, and the wider public. You may find further information on our website: http://trulies-europe.de/.
Prof. Emilia Zankina’s contribution can be found here.
