Bulgaria’s ex-president Rumen Radev, an EU critic who has called for renewing ties with Russia, hailed a "victory of hope" after his coalition topped the eighth parliamentary elections in five years on Monday.
With almost 99% of the votes counted by Monday afternoon, the Central Electoral Commission put Radev's Progressive Bulgaria (PB) party in the lead, securing close to 45% of the votes, an absolute majority of at least 132 seats in the 240-seat parliament.
The European Union's poorest member has seen successive governments since 2021, when anti-graft rallies brought down the conservative administration of pro-European leader Boyko Borissov.
Radev, 62, who resigned earlier this year after nine years as president, ran on a pledge to fight corruption.
PB came in well ahead of the liberal PP-DB coalition, which stood at roughly 15% (14.26), and Borissov's GERB party, had only 13%, according to the electoral commission.
"PB has won unequivocally, a victory of hope over distrust, a victory of freedom over fear," Radev told reporters outside his party’s office in Sofia.
He said Bulgaria would "make every effort to continue on its European path".
"But believe me, a strong Bulgaria and a strong Europe need critical thinking and pragmatism. Europe has fallen victim to its own ambition to be a moral leader in a world with new rules," the former air force general added.
Radev’s political stance has drawn considerable attention internationally. During his presidency, he repeatedly opposed sending military aid to Ukraine and has been critical of European Union policies in that regard.
He has often argued that supporting Ukraine risks drawing Bulgaria into the conflict. The former president has also called for dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has contributed to his reputation as being sympathetic to Russia.
His campaign has also not been without controversy.
At a recent event in the final stretch of his campaign, opposition parties criticised him after a video clip shown on stage included footage of his meeting with Putin.
Just days earlier, Radev doubled down on an earlier controversial position, where he reaffirmed his belief that the annexed Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula "is Russian", drawing serious backlash both domestically and abroad, a position he defended as “realistic”.
