Yanko Sakazov

Who was Yanko Sakazov?

Yanko Ivanov Sakazov was a Bulgarian socialist politician.

A native of the northeastern city of Shumen, Sakazov went abroad for studies during his youth, studying in Western Europe and Russia. He was a student of natural sciences, philosophy and history in Germany, biology in England and literature and art criticism in France. After his return to Bulgaria, he was one of the founders of the Social Democratic Union in Bulgaria in 1892.

Sakazov edited the Shumen-based publication Den between 1891 and 1896.

Sakazov was one of two candidates of the Bulgarian Social Democratic Workers' Party elected to the National Assembly in the 1894 election. Sakazov represented the rural constituency Novi Pazar. Sakazov and Gabrovski were the two first socialist parliamentarians in the history of Bulgaria. Sakazov became a parliamentarian again in 1911, and as the sole socialist deputy in the National Assembly he voted against increased military spending in 1912.

In 1900 Sakazov founded the publication Obshto delo, around which the moderate faction of the party rallied. Sakazov's followers became known as 'Broad Socialists'. In 1903 the party was divided into two, with Sakazov's faction forming the Bulgarian Social Democratic Workers Party.