Румяна Коларова

The paper examines the phenomenon of the 2021 Bulgarian parliamentary elections. The case study is focused on five distinctive features: /1/ the electoral success of new parties; /2/ the intensity, efficiency and main demands of the mass protests preceding the triple parliamentary elections; /3/ the downward trend in the exceptionally low turnout; /4/ the electoral cost of party clientelism and corruption of the incumbent parties; /5/ the destabilisation of the party system and the possible trajectories of change.

The paper reveals the process of institutionalisation of the Bulgarian Parliament for the period from 1991 to 2018, by examining three dimensions: /1/ the par- ty discipline and cohesion; /2/ the changing structure of parliamentary representatives; /3/ the legislative process. The paper reports the results of a longitudinal study of Bulgarian parliament aimed at identifying factors, drivers and stages of its institutionalisation and democratisation such as changes of rules and regulations, landslide electoral victory of new parties, presidential veto and judicial review.