Bulgaria’s pro-Russian ex-president takes early lead in election, exit polls show

Bulgarian ex-president Rumen Radev’s political formation has emerged in first place in the country’s eighth parliamentary election in five years, exit polls showed, though the result fell short of an outright majority.

Mr Radev, who stepped down from the presidency in January, entered the race promising to tackle corruption after an anti-graft movement helped plunge Bulgaria into a prolonged period of political turmoil.

The European Union’s poorest member has cycled through a string of governments since 2021, when mass anti-corruption protests brought an end to the conservative rule of longtime leader Boyko Borissov.

According to two exit polls, Progressive Bulgaria finished comfortably ahead of former premier Borissov’s conservative GERB party, which dropped to about 16%, while the liberal PP-DB coalition stood at roughly 14%.

A voter casts a ballot at a polling station in the capital, Sofia

The 62-year-old former air force general has vowed to dismantle what he calls the country’s “oligarchic governance model”.

He also threw his support behind fresh anti-corruption demonstrations last year that toppled the most recent conservative-backed government.

“Everything simply has to change,” retired engineer Stiliana Andonova told AFP after voting in Sofia, pointing to “the judicial system” and “corruption” as key concerns.

Just before polling stations shut at 6pm Irish time, Mr Radev arrived at his party’s headquarters.

As he walked into the office, where the windows were covered in campaign posters bearing his image, team members waiting inside greeted him with applause, an AFP reporter saw.

He is expected to issue a statement later.

After casting his vote earlier in Sofia, Mr Radev said Bulgaria now has “a historic chance to break once and for all with the … oligarchic model”.

He called for what he described as a “democratic, modern, European Bulgaria”.

He also said he hoped to see “practical relations with Russia, based on mutual respect and equal treatment”.

Mr Radev has criticised a 10-year defence agreement signed last month between Bulgaria and Ukraine, which has been fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion since 2022.

He has also objected to Bulgaria sending weapons to Ukraine, although he has said he would not use his country’s veto to block EU decisions.

Mr Borissov, who led the country for much of the past decade, has rejected the idea that Mr Radev represents anything “new”.

After voting in his hometown of Bankya, on the outskirts of Sofia, Mr Borissov praised his party’s “extremely pro-European position,” stressing its backing for both Ukraine and Brussels.

“There is a huge risk that Bulgaria could change its geopolitical course and orientation,” finance expert Gergana Mihailova, 47, told AFP after casting her vote.

Deep public distrust in politics has dragged on turnout, which fell to 39% in the last election in 2024.

But analysts say Mr Radev’s campaign may have drawn more voters to the ballot box this time, with Alpha Research pollster Boryana Dimitrova predicting a stronger turnout.

Political parties had urged Bulgarians to vote, arguing that higher participation could also limit the impact of vote buying.

In recent weeks, police have seized more than one million euros in raids targeting vote buying as part of intensified operations.

They have also detained hundreds of people, among them local councillors and mayors.