US EditionWho Is Rumen Radev? From Bulgaria President to PM — Russia-Friendly Former Fighter Pilot Who Won 2026 Election
His landslide win may end years of unstable coalitions and gives him a mandate to pursue a more pragmatic foreign policy, analysts said.
- Former President Rumen Radev won Bulgaria's election by a landslide, securing 44.7% of the vote with 91.7% of ballots counted. His Progressive Bulgaria movement marks a dramatic political shift for the Balkan nation of 6.5 million.
- Radev's new political movement rode a wave of frustration with political instability in a nation that held eight elections in five years. Voters sought to end chronic dysfunction and widespread dissatisfaction with veteran parties and corruption.
- Progressive Bulgaria's tally put it far ahead of the pro-European Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition with 13.2%, and the long-dominant GERB party, led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, at 13.4%.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin was encouraged by Radev's readiness for dialogue on Monday, while Radev promised Bulgaria would 'make efforts to continue on its European path.' He also expressed willingness to work with the PP-DB coalition on judicial reform.
- Analysts do not expect Radev to reverse Bulgaria's adoption of the euro or block aid packages to Ukraine, though critics accuse him of pro-Russian views. He has called for pragmatic actions and building a new security architecture for Europe.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Rumen Radev: Bulgaria’s Kremlin-friendly former president and new prime minister
Former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev will soon have a new title, and with it a whole lot of new power. Radev won Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections on Sunday and will become the country’s next prime minister. But while the election victory by Radev’s newly created Progressive Bulgaria party could represent a fresh beginning for a nation fraught with political strife, some people are concerned about Radev’s ties to Russia. Radev’s beginningsRad…
The centre-left alliance Progressive Bulgaria of former President Rumen Radev won a clear victory with around 45 percent of the votes.
Bulgaria's possible new Prime Minister, Rumen Radev, can fly daring maneuvers with a MiG-29. However, he still has to show whether he can rule.
How former fighter pilot timed political run perfectly to give Putin a new ally inside the EU
When Rumen Radev stepped down from his role as president of Bulgaria in January to run in Sunday’s parliamentary election, he urged voters to ditch the “corrupt officials, conspirators and extremists” he said were running the country.
In the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, the center-left party of pro-Russian former President Rumen Radev secured an absolute majority of seats in parliament. Who is Radev and what does his victory mean for Europe?
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