Bulgaria: Pro-Russia Rusev wins presidential election
The center-left coalition of ex-president Rumen Radev has emerged as the clear winner of Bulgaria’s parliamentary election, the country’s central electoral commission said Monday, ending half a decade of political fragmentation.
With 96 per cent of the ballots counted by early Monday, results showed the Progressive Bulgaria coalition receiving 44.7 per cent of the vote, over 20 percentage points ahead of the center-right GERB party of veteran leader Boyko Borissov and the pro-Western reformist bloc led by the We Continue the Change party.
Both parties ran neck-to-neck, scoring 13.4 per cent and 12.9 per cent respectively. Two other parties also appear to have gained seats in the 240-seat chamber, according to the latest results.
Borissov conceded defeat and congratulated the election winner. Radev described his party’s victory as “unequivocal,” a “victory of hope over distrust, a victory of freedom over fear,” saying 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 without rules,” Radev told reporters. During his presidency, Radev gained a reputation as being sympathetic to Russia. He repeatedly opposed EU efforts to send military aid to Ukraine for its war against Russia’s full-scale invasion. He has often argued that supporting Ukraine risks drawing Bulgaria into the war and has favored reopening talks with Russia as a way out of the conflict.
Radev resigned from the mostly ceremonial presidency in January, a few months before the end of his second term, to launch a bid to lead the Government in the more powerful role as prime minister. The former fighter pilot, 62, earned a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the US Air War College in 2003, before being appointed Bulgarian air force commander.
