Exiled Bulgarian Oligarch Unveils Sunny-Sounding Opposition Party

Vassil Bojkov, https://bgsummer2020.com

"We are the power," announced Bojkov, a former gambling mogul and football boss, on Twitter. "The time for justice is coming and justice will be for all."

Notorious for shying away from media appearances or endorsing politicians over the decades, Bojkov dissolved his mysterious aura and became a vocal critic of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's government in 2020.

His business interests were hurt after his highly profitable National Lottery company was nationalised in January. Numerous charges were also brought against him for: leading an organised crime group; coercion; attempted bribery; withholding intellectual property and tax evasion, among others. Bojkov has been hiding out in Dubai for almost a full year. 

Over 2020, he initiated information leaks, published satirical comic cartoons exposing ties between the government and the oligarchy, and in June hinted at forming a political project, proclaiming that "time's up" for the current status quo.

Before his latest announcement, a period of silence surrounded Bojkov's activities, which led some to believe the project was more of a smokescreen. His plans now appear more serious and as he's still exiled, the chairman of the party will be 36-year old Boril Sokolov, previously a marketing director of sports betting agency Eurofootball, founded by Bojkov.

Legislative elections, scheduled for March 28, will see several new figures on the political scene - or rather well-known figures but in different roles.

Apart from Bulgarian Summer, the election has the potential to elevate popular entertainer Slavi Trifonov, and a former ombudswoman with an ambivalent reputation, Maya Manolova, and her party Stand Up.bg, which have joined...