TY - JOUR
T1 - Walking the Walk or Just Talking the Talk? VMRO-BND’s Efforts to Become a Mass Party
AU - Petar, Bankov
AU - Gherghina, Sergiu
AU - Silagadze, Nanuli
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors;.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Many populist radical right parties compete on a regular basis in the Bulgarian legislative elections. Among these, the VMRO–Balgarsko Natsionalno Dvizhenie (VMRO‐BND, IMRO–Bulgarian National Movement) enjoys the greatest organizational stability and maintains a regular presence in politics and society despite volatile electoral performance. Using quali-tative content analysis of official party documents (programs, statutes, and policy papers) and media reports, this article argues that the organizational stability of the VMRO‐BND stems from its grassroots efforts to establish deep links in society. While its membership is limited, the local activities of the party between and during elections, and its network of loosely-affiliated organizations create a grandiose impression of presence across Bulgaria. Through this presence, VMRO‐BND fos-ters a sense of belonging for its members which in turn supports the party’s goal of achieving a so‐called “national cultural unity” and the preservation of Bulgarian traditions. Internally, VMRO‐BND provides room for non‐member participation and bottom‐up initiatives from local activists, while remaining strongly centralized at the top around its leader, Krasimir Karakachanov. Overall, VMRO‐BND reveals the importance populist radical right parties place on social presence, even when membership numbers are low.
AB - Many populist radical right parties compete on a regular basis in the Bulgarian legislative elections. Among these, the VMRO–Balgarsko Natsionalno Dvizhenie (VMRO‐BND, IMRO–Bulgarian National Movement) enjoys the greatest organizational stability and maintains a regular presence in politics and society despite volatile electoral performance. Using quali-tative content analysis of official party documents (programs, statutes, and policy papers) and media reports, this article argues that the organizational stability of the VMRO‐BND stems from its grassroots efforts to establish deep links in society. While its membership is limited, the local activities of the party between and during elections, and its network of loosely-affiliated organizations create a grandiose impression of presence across Bulgaria. Through this presence, VMRO‐BND fos-ters a sense of belonging for its members which in turn supports the party’s goal of achieving a so‐called “national cultural unity” and the preservation of Bulgarian traditions. Internally, VMRO‐BND provides room for non‐member participation and bottom‐up initiatives from local activists, while remaining strongly centralized at the top around its leader, Krasimir Karakachanov. Overall, VMRO‐BND reveals the importance populist radical right parties place on social presence, even when membership numbers are low.
KW - Bulgaria
KW - Grassroots activities
KW - Mass party
KW - Organizational centralization
KW - VMRO‐BND
UR - https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/4562
U2 - 10.17645/pag.v9i4.4562
DO - 10.17645/pag.v9i4.4562
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85119695725
SN - 2183-2463
VL - 9
SP - 307
EP - 316
JO - Politics and Governance
JF - Politics and Governance
IS - 4
ER -