The emergence of anti-establishment (or centrist-populist) parties in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe is a recent phenomenon, which can be found in many countries during the second decade of democratic politics (Deegan-Krause, 2009, Pop-Eleches, 2010, Sikk and Hanley, 2011). Even if this tendency is not an exception and can be found in Western countries as well, the CEE region has proved to be a fertile ground for such movements (Sikk, 2005, Ucen, 2008).
This paper aims at assessing the emergence and success of anti-establishment right-wing parties in Bulgaria: a country where these parties have dominated the political scene throughout the last decade (being constantly in office). I focus on both the anti-establishment rhetoric of these parties (mainly during the electoral campaigns) and the dynamics of electoral support and vote transfer. The conclusion of my study is that political elites use the disappointment of voters from the mainstream parties and tend to capture the protest vote through a non-ideological anti-establishment rhetoric, which is based on personal support for the leader and not on political ideas. This shift from ideological to personal support facilitates the emergence of this type of parties in the Bulgarian case and explains their “flash” performances.
