Radev’s coalition leads Bulgaria’s eighth election since 2021 amid corruption anger and foreign policy tensions

# Radev’s coalition leads Bulgaria’s eighth election since 2021 amid corruption anger and foreign policy tensions

Bulgaria held its eighth legislative election in five years on Sunday, with former president Rumen Radev’s new Progressive Bulgaria coalition widely viewed as the frontrunner in a vote that could determine whether the country finally escapes the instability that has repeatedly toppled governments since 2021.

The contest came after months of political deadlock, public frustration over corruption, and renewed concern about the influence of Russia at a moment when Bulgaria is already inside both the eurozone and the Schengen travel area. Polls published before voting suggested Radev’s alliance could finish first on roughly 30% to 35% of the vote, about 10 points ahead of its nearest rival, the center-right GERB party led by former prime minister Boyko Borissov.

Radev, who resigned from the largely ceremonial presidency in January to seek the country’s top governing post, has cast himself as the candidate of rupture. He has promised to break what he calls an oligarchic model of government and has tried to turn voter anger over corruption into a mandate for change. AFP reported that he stepped down after nine years as president and now leads a center-left grouping that had been assembled for the election campaign. AP likewise described him as the likely winner and said many voters hoped a Radev victory could bring an end to entrenched corruption.

The vote followed the collapse of a conservative-led government after nationwide anti-corruption protests in December 2025. Those demonstrations, which drew huge crowds, deepened the sense that Bulgaria’s political system had become unable to produce durable majorities. AP noted that no government has lasted more than a year since 2021 and that the cycle of elections, protests and backroom deals has bred voter apathy. AFP said the last election saw turnout fall to 39%, while AP reported that pollsters expected participation this time to rise above 50% because of the new political force in the race and a tougher campaign against vote buying.

Vote buying remained a visible issue. AFP said police had seized more than €1 million in raids in recent weeks and detained hundreds of people, including local councillors and mayors, as part of stepped-up operations to limit electoral fraud. Both reports pointed to a broader attempt by the authorities to restore trust in a system many Bulgarians see as compromised.

Foreign policy added another layer of uncertainty. Radev has been portrayed by AFP and AP as skeptical of deeper military support for Ukraine and open to re-establishing practical ties with Moscow, even as he insists Bulgaria should remain within a European framework. Borissov, for his part, has emphasized GERB’s pro-European position and its support for Ukraine and Brussels. That divide gave the election significance beyond domestic reform, because whichever bloc emerges strongest may help shape Bulgaria’s stance inside the EU and NATO.

The new parliament seats 240 members, and polls suggested Radev could win the most votes but still need partners to govern. AFP said his coalition was expected to come first but would need allies for a stable majority, while AP said the election could deliver a left-leaning ex-president to power but would not necessarily end the bargaining that has defined Bulgarian politics in recent years.

For voters, the ballot was less about a single policy question than about whether a political system exhausted by repeated resets can finally produce a government that lasts. If Radev’s coalition performs as the polls suggested, Bulgaria may still face difficult coalition talks. But the election would at least show that the demand for change, after years of unrest and disappointment, remains strong enough to reshape the race.