“Movement for Rights and Freedoms” in Bulgaria: Between Clientalism and Populism

‘The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) represented a unique phenomenon in Bulgarian politics. Possessing a stable electorate, based on the Turkish ethnic minority vote, for three and a half decades the MRF maintained roughly the same level of presence in the National Assembly. This stability made it a welcome ally for various non-political players interested in establishing long-term contacts with the political elite. During the entire existence of the MRF, its representatives have never headed a government. By remaining in the political ”shadow”, the Movement kept open the possibility of compromise and negotiation with representatives of different views, which in turn gave it easier access to state resources. In 2023–2024, the younger generation of DPS politicians attempted to change the party’s behavioural model towards a more typical Bulgarian populist project. The clash of different visions of the future of the Movement led to the split of its parliamentary faction in July 2024 into roughly equal parts advocating different strategies of political struggle.