In the Name of the People/ In the People’s Will. Lessons from National and Local Referendums in Bulgaria 2013-2016

The paper aims to analyze the effects of direct democracy in Bulgaria in the specific context in regards with the “Political Opportunity Structures”; cycle of protest movements and the ways of usage of referendum by parties, political entrepreneurs and citizens. In order to discuss the place of the direct democracy in Bulgaria, we propose a case study analyzing three national referendums held in 2013, 2015 and 2016 in comparison with three cases of local referendums held during the same period of time. Questions of interest are: actors initiating referendum, their strategy; issues; participation and effects. Antiestablishment attitudes characterize the Bulgarian politics. Confidence in parties and institutions is at very low levels and a majority considers that there could be a better rule than the liberal representative democracy (Reynié, 2017) Political parties are alleged to be captured by oligarchs, serving particular interests. Bulgaria passed a legal framework for referendum in 2009 – the Law of Direct Participation of Citizens in the State Power and in the Local Self-government. Unlikely the other countries from Central Europe, Bulgaria didn’t held referendum on the country accession in the EU in 2007. The Law from 2009 has been amended 8 times till 2015. It provides provisions for five types of citizen’s direct participation (art. 3.1.): referendum; civic initiative, that could be held at national or at local level; European civic initiative in accordance with the EU Regulation № 211/2011; general assembly of the population; referendum at local level . Reynié, D. dir (2017) Où va la démocratie – What Next For Democracy?, Fondapol, Plon, Paris, 2017, 320 pages