Bulgarian Far-Right Outraged by Eurovision Song in Parliament

Singer Sofi Marinova performed "Love Unlimited" in the Bulgarian Parliament on Friday. Photo by BGNES

The performance of Bulgaria's 2012 Eurovision song in the country's Parliament triggered a scandal on Friday, as a far-right leader was outraged by its oriental characteristics.

On Friday, pop-folk singer Sofi Marinova performed "Love Unlimited", the song with which she won the Bulgarian Eurovision contest in 2012, in front of the Bulgarian Parliament. The song was also performed in the European Parliament on March 27, both performances being dedicated to the international Roma day (April 8).

Volen Siderov, leader of the far-right Ataka (Attack) party reacted by declaring that the ruling centrist-right GERB is turning Bulgaria into a "chalga country".

"Chalga" is a term often used equivalently to "pop-folk" in Bulgaria, both describing a genre generally considered to be "low" and frequently criticized for its sexually-explicit lyrics.

"Today, we gave a mandate to a chalga singer to sing Turkish folk songs in the Parliament," Siderov said.

"I suggest you invite Azis next time," he added, referring to the eponymous chalga singer known for his particularly grotesque shock-value appearance.

Siderov further bashed the ruling party for the recent joint sitting of the Bulgarian and Turkish cabinets, claiming GERB was fawning to Turkey's "Neo-Ottoman" ambitions.

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