Meet the punk comic taking on Bulgaria’s elite

Inconclusive election results following a snap election; a politician at the helm who made his name on satirical TV shows; a football fanbase condemned for its racism; and a population that has a polarised attitude to the EU. Bulgaria perhaps has more in common with England than would first appear. 

Dissatisfaction spilled over onto ballot papers this weekend during the country’s snap general election. This has culminated in a celebrity-led, anti-elitist party winning the greatest share of the vote by a whisker: 24 per cent compared to the incumbent GERB party’s 23.5 per cent.

Slavi Trifonov, who has dabbled in folk-rock, hip-hop and punk music, and starred in his own political sketch shows, only set up his party — There is Such a People — last year. He used his TV show to grill and select future political stars, a Love Island for wannabe MPs. Some of those TV contestants are now being touted for cabinet roles, despite all being inexperienced politicians.

Trifonov, 54, has ruled out forming coalitions for now but it’s difficult to see how parliament could function with a minority government that has barely a quarter of the vote.