Pro-Russian Ex-President Wins Bulgaria Vote Amid Corruption Crisis
Bulgaria’s pro-Russian former President Rumen Radev has swept to victory in the country’s eighth parliamentary election in five years, with an exit poll showing his center-left Progressive Bulgaria coalition capturing 39.2 percent of the vote.
The result gives Radev a commanding lead over the outgoing center-right GERB party of veteran leader Boyko Borissov, which is projected to receive just 15.1 percent, but the margin may not be enough to govern alone - setting up yet another potentially fractious coalition process in a country that has struggled with political deadlock for years.
The vote came just one week after Hungarian voters ousted Viktor Orbán, another European leader seen as friendly to Moscow, marking a potential shift in Russian influence across the continent.
Why It Matters
Radev’s victory could bring to power a leader who has consistently opposed funneling military support to Ukraine despite Bulgaria’s membership in both the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Unlike most other NATO and EU leaders, Radev has favored reopening talks with Russia as a path out of the conflict and has said he will “develop practical relations with Russia based on mutual respect and equal treatment.” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly clashed with Radev over military backing, including a tense 2023 meeting where cameras were asked to leave the room.
The result comes one week after Orbán - who maintained close ties with both the Kremlin and President Donald Trump, and repeatedly blocked financial support for Kyiv - was unseated by center-right challenger Péter Magyar. That outcome was widely seen as a blow to Russian interests in Europe. Radev’s win complicates that narrative, potentially replacing one pro-Russian European voice with another.
What To Know
The exit poll, conducted by Trend research group, projected six parties could pass the 4 percent threshold needed to enter parliament, raising the prospect of another fragmented legislature. Voter turnout stood at 43.4 percent. Radev said after the initial projections were announced that another election “will be a disaster for Bulgaria,” adding: “It would mean going from crisis to crisis when what we have to do is work very hard to emerge from these crises.”
The snap election followed nationwide protests last December that drew hundreds of thousands - mainly young people - to the streets, demanding an independent judiciary to tackle widespread corruption and forcing out the conservative-led government of Borissov. Radev, a 62-year-old former fighter pilot and air force commander, resigned from Bulgaria’s mostly ceremonial presidency in January - months before his second term ended - to launch his prime ministerial bid. At campaign rallies he vowed to “remove the corrupt, oligarchic model of governance from political power.”
Bulgaria currently ranks 84th out of 182 countries for perceived corruption, according to Transparency International, having slipped three places since 2024. The country joined the eurozone on January 1 and recently entered the border-free Schengen travel area. Borissov’s former coalition partner, oligarch Delyan Peevski - who is sanctioned by both the U.S. and U.K. for corruption - cast his vote Sunday in southwestern Bulgaria, saying citizens “are choosing what kind of country they want to live in.”
Senior Eastern and Central Europe analyst Mario Bikarski of risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft noted that Radev’s relatively vague campaign has left him open to cooperation with almost any party in the future parliament, though Radev appears reluctant to enter a formal coalition with the hard-right, openly pro-Russian Revival party.
What Happens Next
Official results are expected to confirm the exit poll projections, but the path to government remains unclear. Radev has said he will do everything possible to avoid a ninth election, calling mass voter participation “the only way to drown vote-buying in a sea of free votes.”
Coalition negotiations will determine whether Bulgaria can finally form a stable government - or whether the country’s years-long political deadlock continues.
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 12:25 PM.