Bulgarian TV Host Urges Presidential Veto on Electoral Code Amendments

Slavi Trifonov, a popular TV host, has called on President Rosen Plevneliev to veto the amendments to the country's Electoral Code.

Changes voted earlier this week made it possible to hold a referendum separately from an election scheduled for the same year. Prior to that, any referendum had to be held simultaneously with a vote if these were to take place in the same year.

The amendment meant a national poll tabled by Slavi's Show, which gathered enough signatures to be validified by Parliament, is to be held in the summer.

However, during the evening show's Friday edition, Trifonov warned lawmakers had taken the decision to curb the turnout, as any vote held in the summer would enjoy much lower activity that in the autumn.

The host said Plevneliev should impose a veto in order to prove he was the President of all Bulgarians.

Trifonov's referendum includes six questions related to election laws (but also the number of MPs and lawmaker subsidies), one of which - the introduction of online voting - has already been approved by MPs following another referendum in October.

Speculation has been on the rise over whether Trifonov, whose weekday evening show has been increasingly dedicated to political issues over the years (both through satire and serious discussions), is looking for a way into politics.

Trifonov, who apart from being a host is also a musician, has enjoyed substantial popularity, with a concert he staged with his band last year being having been one of the most visited musical events of 2015 in Bulgaria with more than 70 000 people having attended.