Bulgaria holds parliamentary elections on Sunday, April 19, with former president Rumen Radev's new party, Progressive Bulgaria, leading in polls ahead of the election. The party has about 33% support in polls, positioning it as the frontrunner. The election follows the resignation of a conservative-led government amid nationwide anti-corruption protests in December 2025, according to major media reports.
Rumen Radev resigned as president in January 2026 and formed his Progressive Bulgaria coalition after the resignation of the government in December 2025, multiple sources indicate. This political shift comes after years of turmoil, as Bulgaria has had political instability since 2021, with no government surviving a full term and multiple early elections. The country recently joined the eurozone on January 1, 2026, and entered the Schengen area shortly before, marking significant international developments amid domestic uncertainty.
Radev afterlyser en mer normal hållning till Ryssland, och menar att Krim är ryskt oavsett vad någon påstår.
Pre-election irregularities have surfaced, with authorities detaining over 200 people for electoral coercion weeks before the vote, according to multiple reports. Radev has positioned himself against corruption, vowing to remove the corrupt, oligarchic model of governance from power. According to The Independent - UK News, Rumen Radev described himself as an opponent of the country's entrenched mafia and its ties to high-ranking politicians, emphasizing his anti-corruption stance in recent rallies.
On foreign policy, Radev opposes military aid for Ukraine and has a softer stance on Moscow, multiple reports indicate. According to Sveriges Radio Nyheter, Rumen Radev described a more normal stance toward Russia, asserting that Crimea is Russian regardless of what anyone says. This pro-Russian position could influence Bulgaria's relations with the EU and NATO, though the final election results and voter turnout remain unknown.
Radev has cast himself as an opponent of the country’s entrenched mafia and its ties to high-ranking politicians. At the latest preelection rally on Wednesday, he vowed to 'remove the corrupt, oligarchic model of governance from power.'
It is also unclear whether Radev's party will be able to form a stable coalition government or what specific policies he will implement to dismantle oligarchy and corruption. The effectiveness of pre-election measures against vote-buying and coercion has not been fully assessed, adding to the uncertainties surrounding the vote. The election outcome will determine Bulgaria's political direction after years of instability, with Radev's anti-corruption and pro-Russia stances potentially reshaping the country's domestic and foreign policies.