Bulgaria is holding its eighth parliamentary election in five years on Sunday, April 19, according to multiple reports. Former president Rumen Radev's new party, Progressive Bulgaria, is leading in polls ahead of the election, with about 33% support in the latest polls, multiple reports indicate. Radev resigned as president in January 2026, a few months before the end of his second term, and formed his Progressive Bulgaria coalition after the government resigned in December 2025, according to multiple reports. The election follows the resignation of a conservative-led government amid nationwide anti-corruption protests in December 2025, major_media reports. No government has survived a full term in Bulgaria in the past five years, multiple reports show.
Radev advocates for a more normal stance towards Russia and believes Crimea is Russian regardless of what anyone claims, according to Rumen Radev. He is campaigning to dismantle the oligarchy and remove the corrupt, oligarchic model of governance, Rumen Radev stated. Radev opposes military aid for Ukraine and has a softer stance on Moscow, alarming Western allies, multiple reports indicate. According to Aftonbladet, Boriana Dimitrova described Radev as casting a broad political net to catch voters from both left and right. Radev is seen as Bulgaria's most popular politician, major_media reports.
He casts a broad political net to catch voters from both left and right.
Boyko Borissov, leader of the GERB party, is Radev's closest rival in the election, with about 21% support in polls, according to multiple reports. Borissov is pro-European but was plagued by scandals during his decade in power, multiple reports indicate. Voter turnout is expected to jump from an average of 35% in recent elections to over 50% in this election, major_media reports.
Bulgaria joined the eurozone on January 1, 2026, and entered the Schengen area shortly before, according to multiple reports. Authorities detained over 200 people for electoral coercion just weeks before the vote, multiple reports indicate. Bulgaria requested EU assistance last month to counter Russian attempts to influence public opinion through social media and propaganda, major_media reports. It remains unclear how Radev's pro-Russian views will affect Bulgaria's foreign policy and relations with the EU and NATO, or whether the election will actually end Bulgaria's chronic political instability or lead to another short-lived government. The extent of Russian influence operations in Bulgaria and how effective EU assistance will be in countering them is also unknown.
Delays in reforms have slowed Bulgaria's access to EU recovery funds, risking the loss of billions, multiple reports indicate. It is uncertain what coalition Radev will form if his party wins, given that no party is expected to secure a majority, or how he plans to balance his anti-oligarchy promises with potential coalition partners who may be part of the establishment.