In Bulgaria, singer Slavi wins the legislative elections

Without having campaigned, or almost, the Bulgarian song star and former TV presenter Stanislav Trifonov, known as Slavi, won an even higher victory than expected in the polls in the early legislative elections held on Sunday July 11 in this country of millions of inhabitants. According to the counts of the various polling institutes, the anti-corruption party and catch-all “There is such a people”, that this huge national star of 54 years old founded in 2020, came out on top of the poll, with more than 23% voices.

It is a short head ahead of the conservative party of outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, which has ruled Bulgaria almost continuously since 2010. This Balkan country known as the poorest and most corrupt in the European Union (EU) is therefore preparing to turn the page on this 62-year-old leader who was fiercely contested in the streets last summer during a vast anti-corruption movement. Mr Borissov did not appear at the press conference held at his party headquarters on Sunday evening, but “Being in opposition is an honest and dignified way to defend our principles”, has already announced the vice-president of his training, Tomislav Donchev.

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Exploded political landscape

The defeat of Mr. Borissov, however, leaves behind a political landscape fragmented as never before, against a background of record abstention, in which it will not be easy to form a coalition. Slavi, best known for his hits in which he praises women and Ferraris, thus has a very vague program beyond a few points such as the reduction in subsidies for political parties or the transition to a majority electoral system. In his only interview given during the campaign, at World, he said he wanted to dismiss the Attorney General and defended pro-European convictions. With fragile health, he also confirmed that he would not want to be prime minister himself.

Sunday evening, he did not reveal any more precise intention by simply greeting on Facebook, his almost only communication channel, “A good day for Bulgarian democracy” and the score ” unbelievable “ of his party. Political logic would dictate that “There is such a people” form a coalition with the different parties which supported the anti-power protests last summer, such as the centrist and pro-European democratic Bulgaria party and the anti-corruption left party ” Standing ! Mafia outside ”. These two formations also progressed in the Sunday poll. But even together, the three parties should gather around 110 seats, below the majority in Parliament, set at 120 seats.

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