Exit polls show a landslide victory for former President Rumen Radev, a staunch supporter of Russia.
According to the Sofia-based Alpha Research Center, Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria party won 44% of the vote, significantly ahead of former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov’s GERB party, which won just 12.5%. If confirmed, it would be the strongest result for a single party in decades, ending a period of political instability in Bulgaria that has seen eight elections in the past five years.
Rumen Radev, a former fighter pilot and a Eurosceptic, campaigned on promises to improve relations with Moscow and restore the flow of Russian oil and gas to Europe. He is openly opposed to providing military aid to Ukraine and has criticized Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone in January.
The high voter turnout (47%) suggests that Bulgarians are fed up with corruption and constant political crises, preferring the “pragmatic” path proposed by Radev.
Despite his landslide victory, Radev may have to make political compromises. While he has not ruled out forming a minority government, he has said he is ready to work with the pro-European We Continue Change – Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) coalition on judicial reforms, which came in third with 11.3%.
Former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov effectively conceded defeat, saying that winning the election is one thing, governing the country is another, and that everything will be decided in further negotiations.
