Bulgaria’s Kremlin-friendly ex-president set for landslide election win

InternationalMust ReadBulgaria's Kremlin-friendly ex-president set for landslide election winBy Reuters -Apr 20, 2026SOFIA: Pro-Russian former President Rumen Radev is set for a ​runaway victory in Bulgaria’s election, official results showed, potentially ending years of weak coalition governments and sidelining long-dominant political ‌forces. The performance, surpassing opinion polls, is one of the strongest results by a single party in a generation and may end, for now, the instability that led to eight elections in five years. Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria party had 44.6% of the vote after 60% of ballots were counted, suggesting it could rule alone ​in a strong minority government, but he has not ruled out a coalition with a pro-European group or a smaller ​party. Progressive Bulgaria’s tally put it far ahead of the pro-European We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) coalition with ⁠14.2%, and the long-dominant GERB party, led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, at 13%. “This is a victory of hope over distrust, ​a victory of freedom over fear, and finally, if you will, a victory of morality,” Radev told a press conference late on ​Sunday, a day before final election results are expected. A eurosceptic and former fighter pilot opposed to military support for Ukraine’s war effort against Moscow, Radev stepped down from the presidency in January to run in after mass protests forced out the previous government in December. He rode a wave of frustration with ​political instability in the Balkan nation of 6.5 million, where voters are sick of corruption and veteran parties that have dominated politics ​for decades. “There is now an opportunity for the things people have been hoping to see change to actually become visible,” Evelina Koleva, a manager at ‌digital marketing ⁠company in Sofia, the capital, told Reuters. QUESTIONS OVER FOREIGN POLICY Radev’s campaign drew comparisons with Hungary’s pro-Kremlin former Prime Minister Viktor Orban when he...