Sofia, Bulgaria. Former President Rumen Radev won Bulgaria’s parliamentary election by a landslide, official results showed on Monday, sidelining long-dominant political forces and raising the prospect of a shift in the EU and NATO member state’s stance toward Moscow.
Vote results and potential for single-party rule
Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria party had 44.7% of the vote after 91.7% of ballots were counted, exceeding opinion poll forecasts. The result suggested the party could rule alone, though Radev has not ruled out a coalition with a pro-European group or a smaller party.
Progressive Bulgaria’s tally put it far ahead of the pro-European We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) coalition, which had 13.2%, and the long-dominant GERB party, led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, which had 13.4%.
Political context and public frustration
The performance was described as one of the strongest results for a single party in a generation and may end, for now, the instability that led to eight elections in five years.
A eurosceptic and former fighter pilot opposed to military support for Ukraine’s war effort against Moscow, Radev stepped down from Bulgaria’s largely ceremonial presidency in January to run in the parliamentary election after mass protests forced out the previous government in December.
He campaigned amid frustration with political instability in the Balkan nation of 6.5 million, where voters have expressed anger over corruption and long-established parties that have dominated politics for decades.
Statements and policy positions
“This is a victory of hope over distrust, a victory of freedom over fear, and finally, if you will, a victory of morality,” Radev told a press conference late on Sunday.
“There is now an opportunity for the things people have been hoping to see change to actually become visible,” Evelina Koleva, a manager at a digital marketing company in Sofia, told Reuters.
Radev’s campaign drew comparisons with Hungary’s pro-Kremlin former Prime Minister Viktor Orban when he spoke about improving ties with Moscow and resuming the free flow of Russian oil and gas into Europe. He also criticised the European Union for relying too heavily on renewable energy.
What do you think the election result could mean for Bulgaria’s future policies within the EU and NATO?
