Voters across Bulgaria went to the polls on Sunday in the country’s eighth election within five years, with a political bloc led by former president Rumen Radev projected to secure victory on an anti-corruption platform.
The Balkan nation, the European Union’s poorest member, has faced prolonged political instability since 2021.
That year, mass anti-corruption protests forced the resignation of the conservative administration led by long-serving leader Boyko Borissov, plunging the country into a cycle of repeated elections.
Radev, a former air force general who served as president for nine years, stepped down in January to head the newly established centre-left alliance Progressive Bulgaria.
Pre-election surveys indicated the group could capture around 35 percent of the vote. During his presidency, Radev advocated restoring relations with Russia and criticized Bulgaria’s military support for Ukraine.
He has pledged to dismantle what he describes as the country’s entrenched “oligarchic governance model,” aligning himself with the anti-corruption demonstrations in late 2025 that led to the collapse of the previous conservative-backed government.
“Radev’s cause is for Bulgaria to have a future. We have reached a point where we are questioning the very future of our own country,” Lazar Lazarov, a 28-year-old philosophy teacher, told AFP at Radev’s final campaign rally in Sofia earlier this week.
“Radev has proven himself as president and as a statesman. He’s the one who is most acceptable for the EU, the United States, Russia and, if you like, even for China.”
Borissov’s pro-European GERB party, which most recently held power, is expected to finish second with approximately 20 percent support, ahead of the liberal PP-DB coalition, according to opinion polls.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) and are scheduled to close at 1700 GMT, AFP journalists reported.
Radev has been openly critical of the European Union’s green energy strategy, describing it as unrealistic “in a world without rules.” He has also opposed Bulgaria’s involvement in supplying weapons to Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia, although he has stated he would not block EU decisions through a national veto.
Advocating closer ties with Moscow, Radev recently criticized a decade-long defence agreement signed between Sofia and Kyiv, drawing accusations from political rivals that he is overly sympathetic toward Russia.
Controversy also arose after images from his meetings with global leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, were displayed during a campaign rally on Thursday. The move sparked backlash among pro-European voters online, where many shared screenshots as evidence of perceived alignment with the Kremlin.
At the rally, held in the country’s largest indoor arena, Radev was greeted enthusiastically by supporters. He briefly halted the applause with a military-style command of “at ease!”, drawing laughter from the crowd.
“We need to close ranks,” he told some 10,000 supporters, presenting his party as non-corrupt “alternative to the perverse cartel of old-style parties”.
Borissov, who governed Bulgaria for nearly a decade, rejected claims that Radev represents change. Speaking at a campaign event earlier in the week, he argued that GERB had “fulfilled the dreams of the 1990s,” pointing to milestones such as Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone this year.
Radev has ruled out forming a coalition with GERB or working with Delyan Peevski, leader of the DPS party, who has been sanctioned for corruption by both the United States and the United Kingdom. Instead, he has set his sights on securing an outright majority in the 240-seat parliament.
Public distrust in politics has continued to weigh on voter participation, with turnout dropping to 39 percent in the 2024 election. However, analysts suggest this vote could see stronger engagement. Boryana Dimitrova of the Alpha Research polling agency indicated that increased mobilization by Radev may boost turnout.
Political leaders have urged citizens to cast their ballots, emphasizing the importance of participation in limiting electoral fraud. In recent weeks, authorities intensified efforts against vote buying, seizing more than one million euros during police operations and detaining hundreds of individuals, including local officials and mayors.
