The article conducts a case study from the theoretical perspective of the strategic approach towards populism during the period of the political crisis in Bulgaria between April 16 and May 11, 2021. The text analyses how the leader of the political party GERB (‘Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria’), Boyko Borisov, used a typically populist mobilising strategy, combined with a wide range of manipulative discourse techniques, to provoke and deepen the crisis. He aimed to prove that the parties which supported the protests in 2020 were consolidated only around the idea of displacing GERB, and were unable to unite around a common government formula. Borisov’s desire to come back to power is at the basis of his populist strategy, which tries to suggest that during his rule there was order and stability in the country, while only later came a period of chaos and crises. This strategy is accompanied by a clear outline of the ‘image of the enemy’ on three different levels. Firstly, several specific individuals are mentioned, who do not have a plan for action after the displacement of GERB. They are (supposedly) unable to rule the country, pushing it instead towards elections and towards provisional government appointed by Rumen Radev. Secondly, this personalisation turns into the prerequisite for building a collective image of the immorality of the elite. At the same time, this anti-elitism is combined with an opposition of ‘the people versus the elite’. Thirdly, the image of the enemy is seen as embodied in certain political parties.