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Antoaneta Dimitrova, Bernard Steunenberg and Dimiter Toshkov about the political situation in Bulgaria

In the current political situation of Bulgaria, it seems that a long-term caretaker government is the only viable option at the moment. Dimiter Toshkov, Antoaneta Dimitrova and Bernard Steunenberg of FGGA analyse what the Bulgarian caretaker government can learn from its Dutch counterpart.

On 14 November, Bulgarians will be heading to the polls once again on November 14 to cast a vote in the country's third parliamentary election of the year. Dimitrova, Professor Comparative Governance and Steunenberg, Professor Public Administration, gave a joint statement for Emering Europa. They stated: 'As Bulgaria is heading for its third parliamentary election in a year, many view the divided parliament’s failure to form a government as an unprecedented political crisis.' They argue that there are other developments in the political system that have been more positive.

Undermine trust in democracy

The article also quotes Dimiter Toshkov, Professor of Politics of the European Union at FGGA. He expresses concern about the possible effect that a further erosion of democratic standards could have on the electorate. To Emerging Europe he says:  'In a relatively young democracy, such inability of the electoral process to produce an effective government is dangerous, because it can undermine trust in democracy as a system of governance and support for democratic institutions, such as parliaments.'

Read the whole article here

Bernard Steunenberg conducts research on European politics and policymaking, including the relationship between the Union and its Member States on the transposition and implementation of European policy. In his work, he uses perspectives from game theory, deliberative theory, public choice and analytical politics.

Antoaneta Dimitrova's research brings together different lines of inquiry relating to governance transfer across national borders. An enduring theme in her work has been the effect of the European Union on the democratic and market transformations of the post-communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Other key themes are EU enlargement, currently focusing on the EU’s strategy towards the Western Balkan candidates. Another theme in her research inquires into the causes of democratic backsliding and especially role of state capture. With various colleagues she has been investigating the European Union’s Neighbourhood policy towards its Eastern neighbours – Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova in particular.

Dimiter Toshkov's main fields of research are European Union politics, comparative public policy, and research methodology. His earlier research focused on the implementation of EU law in the post-communist countries from Central and Eastern Europe.

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