Bulgaria's Eighth Election in Five Years: Radev Wins Landslide
Former president Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party won a decisive victory in Bulgaria's April 19, 2026 parliamentary election — the country's eighth in five years. Exit polls showed Progressive Bulgaria winning 37–39% of the vote, far ahead of former PM Boyko Borissov's GERB-UDF coalition at 15–16%. Radev, a former fighter pilot who resigned the presidency in January to launch his political movement, campaigned as an "oligarchy breaker." He declared the result "a victory of hope over distrust, a victory of freedom over fear" and pledged to form a stable government. Radev struck a notably eurosceptic tone, saying Europe "has become a victim of its ambition to act as a moral leader" and called for "pragmatic action." The election came one week after Hungary's voters ousted Viktor Orbán, raising questions about whether a broader anti-establishment wave is reshaping Central and Eastern European politics.