Competing Pasts in Bulgaria: The ‘Ethnic Crisis’ of 1989–1990 and Transitional Justice

Transitional justice in Bulgaria was incomplete and delayed due to the emergence around the June 1990 elections of two views on the communist past. One view sought justice for the crimes committed during early communism, whereas the other sought redress for the crimes committed during the late communist assimilation of Bulgarian Turks. Although not in direct competition, those views relied on different political actors for gaining transitional justice. The formation of a nationalist movement opposed to restoration of ethnic minority rights contributed to the loss of the first elections by the democratic forces and the ongoing influence of the socialists during transition.