Bulgaria’s central electoral commission said Monday that the center-left coalition of ex-president Rumen Radev won the country’s parliamentary election, ending half a decade of political fragmentation while leaving the same machinery of power intact. With all ballots counted, the Progressive Bulgaria coalition took 44.6% of the vote, far ahead of the center-right GERB party of veteran leader Boyko Borissov and the pro-Western reformist bloc led by the We Continue the Change party, which scored 13.4% and 12.6% respectively.
Who Won, Who Lost
Borissov conceded defeat and congratulated Radev, while two other parties also appeared to have gained seats in the 240-seat chamber, according to the latest results. The numbers show a clear reshuffling at the top, not a break from the structure that has kept Bulgarian politics trapped in repeated cycles of instability, street pressure, and backroom deals.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also moved quickly to bless the outcome. On Monday she congratulated Radev on his election victory and posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Bulgaria is a proud member of the European family and plays an important role in tackling our common challenges. I look forward to working together, for the prosperity and security of Bulgaria and Europe.”
Radev described his party’s victory as unequivocal, a “victory of hope over distrust, a victory of freedom over fear,” and said Bulgaria would “make every effort to continue on its European path”. He also said: “But believe me, a strong Bulgaria and a strong Europe need critical thinking and pragmatism. Europe has fallen victim to its own ambition to be a moral leader in a world without rules.”
The Power Behind the Curtain
During his presidency, Radev gained a reputation as being sympathetic to Russia. He repeatedly opposed EU efforts to send military aid to Ukraine for its war against Russia’s full-scale invasion. He has often argued that supporting Ukraine risks drawing Bulgaria into the war and has favored reopening talks with Russia as a way out of the conflict.
Maria Simeonova, head of the Sofia Office of the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that although as president Radev often expressed pro-Russian statements, prompting comparisons to a “new Orbán,” given his landslide victory at home, he is likely to now seek external legitimacy through building relationships with other European leaders. Simeonova said, “Radev is unlikely to openly adopt an Orbán-style rhetoric, at least in his engagement with European counterparts. His criticism — particularly regarding financial and military support for Ukraine or sanctions against Russia — will be aimed primarily at the domestic audience.”
Radev resigned from the mostly ceremonial presidency in January, a few months before the end of his second term, to launch a bid to lead the government in the more powerful role as prime minister. The 62-year-old former fighter pilot earned a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Air War College in 2003, before being appointed Bulgarian air force commander.
What People Are Being Sold
His supporters are divided between those hoping he will put an end to the country’s oligarchic corruption and those lining up behind his euroskeptic and Russia-friendly views. Bulgaria’s previous conservative government collapsed in December after nationwide anti-corruption protests drew hundreds of thousands of mainly young people to the streets.
Radev’s popularity surged as he cast himself as an opponent of the entrenched mafia and their ties to high-ranking politicians. At campaign rallies he vowed to “remove the corrupt, oligarchic model of governance from political power.” NATO and EU member Bulgaria has been repeatedly criticized for not tackling corruption and for deficiencies in the rule of law.
Vessela Tcherneva, Deputy Director of the Berlin-based European Council on Foreign Relations, said that the most important task for Radev’s government will not be foreign policy but rather freeing Bulgarian institutions from the control of Borissov and the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Delyan Peevski, an oligarch sanctioned for corruption by the US and Britain. Tcherneva added, “For that he would get support from the reformist pro-European coalition We Continue the Change in parliament.”
Since 2021, the nation of 6.5 million has struggled with fragmented parliaments that produced weak governments, none of which managed to survive more than a year before being brought down by street protests or backroom deals in parliament. Tired of the seemingly never-ending election roulette, people on the street reacted with mixed feelings to the latest election results.
Nikoleta Dimitrova, a 37-year-old shop assistant from Sofia, said: “Above all, we expect a more stable judicial system, and for trust in institutions to truly be restored. Until now, they have been heavily influenced by various figures, many of whom, as we can see from the current results, have now left the government.”
Accountant Cveta Gerogieva, 55, said: “I hope that we will really live a better life, but I am not sure that there will be stability for a long period. Probably we will vote again.”