EditBulgaria’s Radev wins the snap parliamentary elections by landslide
Bulgarian voters have spoken loudly, and Radev - who stepped down early from his presidential mandate to enter the race - has seen his bold bet pay off handsomely
Former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and his newly formed Progressive Bulgaria coalition have emerged as clear winners in Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections, with 96.41% of the ballots counted on Monday morning.
With projections showing Progressive Bulgaria securing a strong majority in the future parliament, Radev’s force has dwarfed traditional players in what marks the eighth election in just five years.
The most striking feature of the vote was the record-high turnout, at 47.6%, which analysts and early data described as significantly higher than the dismal 39% registered in the October 2024 election. This surge appears to have worked strongly in Radev’s favor, mobilising voters frustrated with years of political instability, corruption scandals, and short-lived governments.
Radev, a former air force pilot who stepped down from the presidency in January to lead the centre-left, populist-leaning coalition, campaigned on an anti-corruption platform and a promise to break the cycle of weak coalitions. His Eurosceptic and pro-Russian stance – including opposition to military aid for Ukraine – has drawn attention in Brussels, yet resonated with many Bulgarians tired of the status quo.
With 96.41% of the ballots counted, Radev’s party Progressive Bulgaria rides high at 44.7%. Second comes the once-dominant GERB-SDS of Boyko Borissov at at 13.4%.
Third is the pro-European reformist We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) alliance at 12,8. The controversial DPS (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) led by oligarch Delyan Peevski (sanctioned by the US and UK) in fourth at 6.6%. The nationalist Vazrazhdane and at 4.3% is the last who succeeded to cross the 4% barrier to be represented in Parliament.
Consequently Progressive Bulgaria will secure a comfortable majority of over 130 seats in the 240-seat National Assembly, meaning Radev needs no coalition to rule as Prime Minister.
The DPS of Delyan Peevski is the champion in signals for election crimes, which include massive vote-buying. This is shown by the statistics that the acting Interior Minister Emil Dechev presented immediately after the end the of election day. The signals related to electoral wrongdoing by DPS are 631. In second place is GERB with 318 signals. In a distant third place is “Vazrazhdane” with 18 signals. After them is the formation of former Radev, with 16 signals.
One winner, many losers
The election results come as a shock to many, as surveys suggested support for Radev around 30%, and a second place for GERB at 20%, a much better showing for Peevski’s DPS and more parties in Parliament, including the socialist BSP, which will remain outside, as it was dwarfed at 3%, according to partial count.
Fringe nationalist parties such as Velichie and Mech, and the populist There is Such a People, will also remain outside parliament.
The high turnout signals genuine momentum for Radev and a clear public demand for change after prolonged political fatigue. Official preliminary results are expected on Monday, with fuller counts to follow. For now, one thing is clear: Bulgarian voters have spoken loudly, and Rumen Radev — who stepped down early from his presidential mandate to enter the race — has seen his bold bet pay off handsomely.
Caption: A billboard advertising Rumen Radev’s party Progressive Bulgaria, [Photo: Georgi Gotev]
Updated: April 20, 2026 - 11:09
