The Authoritarian Populism Index for 2024, published by TIMBRO and EPICENTER, reveals a steady rise in support for authoritarian parties in Europe, reaching an all-time high of 26.9% in 2023, with concerns raised about the erosion of democracy and human rights by populist governments and their detrimental economic policies. Despite varying levels of support across EU countries, Bulgaria stands out with significant growth in populist party votes over the past decade, particularly highlighted by the emergence of Vazrazhdane, indicating a trend contrary to the overall European pattern.

The Authoritarian Populism Index 2024, published by Timbro and EPICENTER and presented in Bulgaria by the Institute for Market Economics, provides insights into Europe's political landscape, with Bulgaria offering a distinct pattern as support for populist parties dropped below 20% in 2023, contrary to the continental trend. While countries like Hungary, Italy, and France exhibit significant backing for populist factions, Bulgaria's political sphere shows a shift with the rise of the Revival party, signaling evolving dynamics despite relatively low overall support for populist parties.

The recent authoritarianism report highlights Hungary, Italy, France, Greece, and Poland as the leading populist-supporting countries, with Bulgaria showing lower support at under 20%, attributed to rising concerns about migration. Populism is increasingly prevalent across Europe, notably in Hungary and Poland, where it has become a norm, with at least one of the top three parties in each country being populist.

Greece maintains its high ranking in support for populist and authoritarian parties, despite a notable 11-percentage-point decrease in such support from 2015 to 2023, according to the Authoritarian Populism Index published ahead of the 2024 European elections by the Swedish research institute Timbro, with support from the pan-European Network EPICENTER and the ATLAS Network, and presented in Greece by the Center for Liberal Studies.

Despite a notable 11-percentage-point decrease in support for populist and authoritarian parties in Greece from 2015 to 2023, the country still ranks fourth among 31 European nations in the Authoritarian Populism Index, with 44.3% electoral backing for such parties; left-wing populist and authoritarian parties lead in Greece with 31.5% support, while right-wing counterparts stand at 12.8%, reflecting a broader trend across Europe where one in three citizens supports such parties, with slight increases in northern European countries and slight declines in left-wing parties across the EU.

Despite a notable 11-percentage-point decrease in support for populist and authoritarian parties in Greece from 2015 to 2023, the country still ranks fourth among 31 European nations in the Authoritarian Populism Index, with 44.3% electoral backing for such parties; left-wing populist and authoritarian parties lead in Greece with 31.5% support, while right-wing counterparts stand at 12.8%, reflecting a broader trend across Europe where one in three citizens supports such parties, with slight increases in northern European countries and slight declines in left-wing parties across the EU.

Despite a notable 11-percentage-point decrease in support for populist and authoritarian parties in Greece from 2015 to 2023, the country still ranks fourth among 31 European nations in the Authoritarian Populism Index, with 44.3% electoral backing for such parties; left-wing populist and authoritarian parties lead in Greece with 31.5% support, while right-wing counterparts stand at 12.8%, reflecting a broader trend across Europe where one in three citizens supports such parties, with slight increases in northern European countries and slight declines in left-wing parties across the EU.

Despite a notable 11-percentage-point decrease in support for populist and authoritarian parties in Greece from 2015 to 2023, the country still ranks fourth among 31 European nations in the Authoritarian Populism Index, with 44.3% electoral backing for such parties; left-wing populist and authoritarian parties lead in Greece with 31.5% support, while right-wing counterparts stand at 12.8%, reflecting a broader trend across Europe where one in three citizens supports such parties, with slight increases in northern European countries and slight declines in left-wing parties across the EU.

Bulgaria has seen a significant growth over the past decade in its support for authoritarian parties, reaching almost 1/5 of all votes in parliamentary elections in the middle of the last decade. In recent years, the rise of the Vazrazhdane party has brought another increase, with the share of populism in the country reaching 17% in 2023, news.bg according to the latest edition.