Bulgaria Holds Eighth Election in Five Years as Radev Leads

Bulgarians voted Sunday in the country's eighth parliamentary election in five years, with former President Rumen Radev emerging as the clear frontrunner on the strength of an anti-corruption message and promises to combat poverty affecting a third of the population. Radev, a eurosceptic former Air Force commander who stepped down from the presidency in January after nine years, leads polls with around 30 to 35 percent support, a commanding lead but insufficient for an outright majority. The election follows the collapse of the previous government in December, as mass protests against corruption and high inflation forced Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov's resignation after just 11 months in office, the seventh different premier in five years for this nation of 6.5 million people. The political landscape is defined by deep fragmentation, with Radev's newly formed Bulgaria Progresista well ahead of the conservative GERB party led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov at around 19 percent, the pro-European We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition at 11 percent, and the DPS-Nuevo Comienzo party of sanctioned businessman Delyan Peevski at 10 percent. Radev has ruled out forming a coalition with either GERB or DPS, citing their entanglement in the corrupt "status quo," while the reformist PP-DB coalition has similarly rejected cooperation with him due to his pro-Russian positions. This web of crossed vetos has prompted analysts to warn that Bulgaria could face yet another bout of political paralysis requiring new elections, possibly by summer. The vote also comes as Bulgaria grapples with the impact of adopting the euro on January 1, a move Radev had unsuccessfully sought to put to a referendum amid fears of price increases in the European Union's poorest member state. Bulgaria ranks 84th on Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, the lowest score in the EU, and electoral observers estimate that vote-buying, with prices ranging from 50 to 100 euros per ballot, may influence 10 to 15 percent of the vote in certain regions. Turnout is projected at around 60 percent, nearly double the historically low 38 percent recorded in 2024, suggesting voters are eager for change even as the prospect of breaking the cycle of instability remains uncertain.