{"id":674,"date":"2026-04-19T14:05:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T18:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jakony.com\/frontpage\/?p=674"},"modified":"2026-04-19T14:05:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T18:05:58","slug":"pro-kremlin-candidate-dominates-bulgarian-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jakony.com\/frontpage\/europe\/pro-kremlin-candidate-dominates-bulgarian-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro Kremlin Candidate Dominates Bulgarian Vote"},"content":{"rendered":"

(SOFIA, BULGARIA) \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Rumen Radev, the Russia-aligned former president, is on course to win Bulgaria’s parliamentary election, securing nearly 40 percent of the vote according to exit polls, though he will require coalition partners to form a governing majority.<\/p>\n

Radev’s newly created Progressive Bulgaria movement was projected to win 38.9 percent of the vote by polling agency Market Links, while Alpha Research placed the party at 37.5 percent. The result gives him more than twice the support of any other political formation in the Balkan country.<\/p>\n

The election marks Bulgaria’s eighth national vote in five years, a period defined by rolling political crises and fragile coalitions. Radev, a 62 year old former air force commander, launched his new political movement as an attempt to break the prolonged impasse.<\/p>\n

The key question now centres on which coalition partners Radev will choose. He could seek a majority with pro-EU liberal reformists, who polled at approximately 14 percent, or align himself with the Socialist party, on about 4 percent, and nationalist formations, on about 5 percent. The latter option would allow him to form a pro-Moscow governing bloc.<\/p>\n

Speaking after the vote, Radev hinted at potential common ground with the pro-Brussels reformist camp on the issue of judicial reform, specifically addressing Bulgaria’s corruption plagued judiciary. He said he was ready to explore different options to provide Bulgaria with a functional and stable government, adding that he and the reformists were looking in “one and the same direction.”<\/p>\n

Radev has built his political reputation by positioning himself as an enemy of Bulgaria’s oligarchic “mafia state.” However, his opponents argue that his policy positions consistently align with the Kremlin, particularly regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine.<\/p>\n

The former president has encouraged Ukraine to sue for peace, does not support the provision of arms to Kyiv, and has stated that his insistence on Crimea being “Russian” simply reflects strategic reality. He is also a critic of Bulgaria’s accession to the euro currency this year, arguing that the new currency has stoked inflation.<\/p>\n

In remarks after voting on Sunday morning, Radev described the election as an opportunity to “take back” the country from oligarchs. He also called for relations of “mutual respect” with Moscow, citing Russia’s role in liberating Bulgaria from the Ottoman empire in 1878.<\/p>\n

Despite these positions, Radev has generally avoided direct confrontation with the West and has aligned with the European mainstream when attending European Council meetings in Brussels. European Union funds remain vital to Bulgaria, the EU’s poorest member state, and Bulgarian leaders have traditionally avoided the provocative tactics employed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n.<\/p>\n

In the days before the election, the former MiG-29 pilot pushed back against accusations that he was pro-Russian. He stated that he did not see what kind of pro-Russian position he held, describing his platform as completely pro-Bulgarian and pro-European.<\/p>\n

Radev has refused to enter coalition talks with Bulgaria’s two most prominent political figures, former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Delyan Peevski, leader of the DPS-New Beginning party. He has accused both men of being at the top of the “oligarchic pyramid” that runs what he calls the mafia state.<\/p>\n

While casting his own vote on Sunday, Borissov hit back by attempting to associate Radev with a corruption probe involving members of his close entourage.<\/p>\n

The election results remain preliminary, with final counts expected in the coming days.<\/p>\n