This paper examines Bulgaria’s post-communist political landscape through the lens of Antonio Gramsci’s concept of hegemony. It explores how the country’s transition from communism has increased susceptibility to false and misleading information. The study posits that the failure to establish a cohesive hegemonic order has led to a fragmented ideological landscape where competing narratives vie for dominance. This landscape facilitates the erosion of trust in democratic and political institutions and significant contamination of the informational environment. By analyzing key political moments from 1997 to 2020, the paper outlines indicators of weak hegemony, including fragmented consensus, counter hegemonic forces, recurring crises of authority, reliance on coercion rather than consent and, the absence of moral and intellectual leadership, the paper explains how false and misleading information exploits these societal antagonisms, further undermining democratic institutions, entrenching public disillusionment and perpetuating elite control. The paper concludes that Bulgaria’s political trajectory reflects a prolonged ‘war of position’, where ideological struggles and external pressures complicate the path to genuine democratic reform.

Keywords: Bulgaria, Hegemony, ‘war of position,’ Disinformation