A man who set himself alight last month in protest against economic hardship and corruption has died, the third fatal self-immolation in Bulgaria this year.

Ventsislav Vasilev, 53, suffered burns on 75 per cent of his body after pouring petrol over himself and lighting a flame outside the mayor’s office in the central town of Radnevo. The unemployed father of five died yesterday, AFP reported.

Protests erupted after a hike in electricity costs. Bulgarians were already suffering from a sluggish economy, which many blamed on corruption. The protests forced Prime Minister Boiko Borisov’s government to resign and elections are due to take place in May.