Bulgarian Russia-sympathizer Radev is heading for election win
Former President Rumen Radev, who opposes sanctions against Russia and military aid for Ukraine, is on track to win Bulgaria's eighth general election since 2021 and may have a chance to end years of political deadlock, an exit poll showed.
Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party is set to win about 38% of the vote in Sunday's ballot, according to a poll conducted by Alpha Research and published by the BNT public TV channel. That would give Radev's party around 105 seats in the 240-strong parliament, the pollster projected. His main challenger Gerb, led by longtime Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, is running second at about 16% and 46 seats.
Despite the wide margin of victory, Radev faces potentially tricky negotiations to form a governing majority, a step which has proved too much for the winners of recent elections.
The distribution of seats could still change if the Socialists, a likely ally for Radev, slip below the 4% threshold for entering parliament. The Alpha Research survey has the party on 4.1%
"For me, the most important thing is to form a regular, stable government," Radev told reporters as he cast his vote on Sunday. "Going to elections again is not an option."
The European Union's poorest member state has been locked in political deadlock since the anti-graft protests five years ago which end Borissov's dominance of the country's politics.
Radev, the country's most popular politician, resigned as head of state in January in order to enter the race after another wave of that brought down a fragile coalition led by Borissov's Gerb. Vowing to fight what he called a corrupt elite, he managed to gather support from across the political spectrum, including most of his rivals.
The former air force general, who trained in the U.S., managed to bring disillusioned voters back to the polls after years of near-record low levels of participation. Turnout on Sunday stood at around 47% as of 7 p.m. local time, the exit poll showed, compared with 38% at the last election in October 2024.
Radev has repeatedly rejected the idea of forming a coalition with Borissov's party, but his other options are complicated.
The third-place party is a pro-EU, anti-corruption alliance that is set to win about 14% of the vote and 40 seats. Radev has regularly criticized the alliance for supporting Borissov's various administrations but he hasn't ruled out a coalition with the group.
The Socialists would be Radev's most likely coalition partner, but they risk falling out of parliament after votes are counted from outside Bulgaria, where the party has less support. The exit poll has them on track for 11 seats.
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms is led by U.S.-sanctioned mogul Delyan Peevski, an unpopular figure whom many see as the face of state capture, though he's denied wrongdoing. Radev has campaigned against Peevski's enduring influence in Bulgaria's government and has rejected the idea of any alliance with his party. Peevski's party is set to win about 8.4% of the vote and 24 seats.
Revival, a radical nationalist party that has campaigned to take Bulgaria out of NATO, is set for 4.9% and 14 seats. It has largely been left isolated in previous parliaments but might potentially do a deal with Radev.
Radev will have the first try in forming a government. If he fails, the acting president will then hand the mandate to Borissov. A third failure will trigger a new snap election.
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