The Gender Factor in Bulgarian Populism: Unifying or Dividing

Over the past decade, there has been a notable upsurge in the popularity of populist parties and leaders worldwide, including within Member States of the European Union (EU). Largely unexpectedly, in numerous countries, legislative, policy, and advocacy efforts to address malicious phenomena like gender-based violence (GBV) and domestic violence (DV) have become a target for attack by populist actors. This study aims to explore how efforts to counter GBV are presented in discourse produced by right-wing and left-wing political parties in Bulgaria and whether gender concepts intertwine with populist messages within the said discourse.