democracy

The article considers populism as a democratic element, not as a phenomenon outside of modern democracy. The arguments of the critics of populism remain on the same rational ground as the populist ideas because they imply a clear and undeniable distinction between the elites and the masses, between the lead- ers and the governed, between the professionals and the ordinary people. The suggestion made is that national populism should not be identified as populism because it is anti-democratic, but as a manifestation of primordial-fascism.

During the president election campaign in 2016 a clear fact emerged: the candidates demonstrated basic lack of understanding about the competence, the functions, role and relevance of the institution. The narrative during the race presented a deeper misunderstanding of what the candidates think the President of Bulgaria actually works. The variations on the theme became the main reason for this text, which sets the difficult task not only to unveil the real nature of the presidential institution, but to go even further - to offer a recipe for modernizing the institution in accord with contemporary needs an institutional framework in Bulgaria.