A pro-Russian ex-serviceman wins elections in Bulgaria

Plovdiv (Bulgaria)The pro-Russian and Eurosceptic Rumen Radev has clearly won the legislative elections in Bulgaria, a clear victory that could even allow him to govern alone, according to exit polls. Radev, who left the presidency in January to run in the legislative elections, is a former general and former pilot critical of political elites, with an anti-corruption discourse and who does not hide his sympathies for the Hungarian ultranationalist Viktor Orbán. His party, Bulgaria Progressive, was polling more than 20 points ahead of the second formation, the conservative party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.

Bulgaria celebrated its eighth election since 2021 this Sunday, in a climate of citizen discontent that the former soldier has capitalized on, favored by the rejection of a political class perceived as corrupt and by frustration over the lack of improvements in living standards in the poorest country in the European Union (EU). The elections were precipitated after the wave of anti-government protests last December, where youth played a leading role. One of the keys to the result has been the increase in participation, XX above previous ones, in a country where high abstentionism is usually the norm. After the repeated elections, protest votes have prevailed, also with a strong young component.

Former Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, the 62-year-old Radev had begun his military career in 1987, still under the communist regime, had trained in the United States (he was the best foreign student at the Air Command Staff College) and had become one of the country's most distinguished military officers before making the leap into politics. In 2016 he was elected president as an independent candidate with the support of the Socialist Party (the former Communist Party) and in 2021 he had revalidated his position, which he left a year before the end of his term. He has focused his campaign on the fight against corruption and inflation, triggered by the wars in Iran and Ukraine and by the recent entry of Bulgaria, the EU's poorest country, into the euro. The former pilot has also advocated for reopening dialogue with Russia to take advantage of its energy resources. This very Sunday, after voting, he assured that he would seek "practical and mutually respectful" relations with Moscow from power and reiterated that cooperation between the EU and Russia is necessary.

Against traditional politicians

As president, Radev maintained a tense relationship with the conservative populist leader Boyko Borissov, the country's most prominent politician in the last 15 years, whom he held responsible for tolerating corruption. It is this confrontation with traditional politicians that gave him popularity, especially by supporting citizen protests. Now, with a nationalist message focused on state regeneration, national security, and accountability, Radev has managed to capitalize on citizen discontent. His discourse has combined Eurosceptic elements with a frontal criticism of political and economic elites, whom he has accused of benefiting from the system to the detriment of the citizenry.

His declared objective is to "transform Bulgaria," and his style is very personalist. An admirer of the then Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, who lost the elections on Sunday after 16 years in power in Budapest, Radev sees himself as a more pragmatic figure and has never questioned Bulgaria's membership in the EU or NATO. He has, however, questioned the European Green Deal and LGBTI rights. And he opposes sending military aid to Ukraine. In 2025, he unsuccessfully promoted a referendum on the adoption of the euro, which Bulgaria joined last January, emphasizing that a decision of this magnitude should have broad social consensus, especially in a country where one-third of the population lives at risk of poverty.

Upon learning of the initial results, Radev has shown openness to coalitions: "we want a stable and solid government." It is not clear whether We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria can govern alone or if they will need partners. Borissov has already stated that he will not enter any coalition. He could form a pact with the third force, the liberal coalition We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB), with whom he shares the fight against corruption and the defense of judicial reform, or also with Revival, which has entered parliament.