Strategies of Bulgarian parties for nationalization of municipal councils

An important contributor to the structuring of party politics in long-standing democracies is the process of nationalization of local politics (Schakel 2017). We understand the concept of nationalization as the degree to which the local party system resembles the national party system at one point in time (Dodeigne, Close, and Teuber 2021). The current paper plunges into the depths of different strategies of nationally represented parties in Bulgaria to establish themselves on the local level by increasing their presence in the municipal councils. Building on a solid database with results from the local elections in Bulgaria for the period (1991-2023), we will empirically research the following: Assessing the Degree of Nationalization in Local Governance Over Time and Across Various Municipalities. Distinguish local electoral strongholds, characterized by a constituency that has been won three consecutive times by the same party in elections (Keefer & Khemani, 2009) Examining the context of the local strongholds for a possible explanation for the presence or absence of political parties in the former. Distinguishing different models of expansion of national parties in municipalities, in which they are traditionally absent. The main hypothesis is that national parties manage to expand their presence through two main strategies - through cultivating support amongst volatile minority voters and through attracting local power brokers. In the rest of the cases, we expect either an already high level of nationalization or local parties, or coalitions that are context-specific.