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Abstract

The dominant paradigm predicts that the creation of a democratic polity must be sown in the fertile ground of a strong economy, a large middle class with a supportive civic culture and a competitive party structure. However, in Bulgaria the necessary conditions for democracy were not present. This article applies the micro-political approach of Giuseppe Di Palma to the Roundable talks held in 1990. A fundamental agreement was forged there that guarantees a continuing role for reform elements within Bulgaria's Communist Party and the creation of democratic institutions. Although fragile, these institutions are shaping the manner and nature of political discourse and leading civil society to a stable and vigorous existence.

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Bulgaria's National Roundtable Talks and the Politics of Accommodation

Abstract

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