The Progressive Bulgaria party of former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev is poised to win big in the EU member state’s eight general election since 2021, stirring fears of a tilt towards Russia in the style of Viktor Orban.
Svetoslav Todorov
Having only just vacated the post of president, Rumen Radev looks set to become Bulgaria’s next political strongman leader after Sunday’s general election, although his brand-new Progressive Bulgaria party is likely to have to find partners to govern.
During a closing rally for his election campaign in Sofia on Thursday, attended by 15,000 people, Radev exuded confidence, boldly stating that he might not even need any major partners to govern.
“We’ll be chasing a full majority,” he declared, insisting that he will not go into coalition with veteran Bulgarian leader Boyko Borissov’s centre-right GERB or with the main pro-EU opposition alliance, We Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria. However, he did not mention the smaller nationalist factions that might help his project once in parliament.
In his speech, he also sought to counter allegations that his sudden victory might be social media algorithm-fuelled, with unwelcome comparisons to how Romanian right-wing populist Calin Georgescu, whose first-round presidential election victory in November 2025 was annulled by the Constitutional Court, citing foreign, likely Russian, interference.
“We’ve gathered here tonight not because of TikTok or Facebook as some imply,” Radev insisted.
Only established in March, the sudden popularity of his Progressive Bulgaria represents a damning indictment of the parties that have won and then squandered power in various short-lived government constellations since protests brought down Borissov’s GERB party five years ago, kicking off a period of intense political instability and quickfire elections.
It also speaks to the personal standing of Radev, a 62-year-old former air force commander and political pragmatist who has spoken out against supplying aid for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion. Radev has also opposed Western sanctions on Moscow and resisted neighbouring North Macedonia’s accession to the European Union.
Sunday’s general election is Bulgaria’s eight since 2021. Some experts say Radev may end up emulating Viktor Orban, whose reign in Hungary proved such an irritant to the European Union.
