Bulgaria's eighth parliamentary election in five years concluded Sunday with exit polls showing former President Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria movement commanding a strong lead but falling short of a single-party majority, extending a political crisis that has left the EU's poorest member state struggling with weak governance and persistent corruption since the fifth year of instability that began when the conservative government of Boyko Borissov was toppled amid anti-corruption rallies in 2021.
Exit polls gave Progressive Bulgaria varying levels of support, with one poll showing 39.2%, another putting the party at 38.9%, and a third projecting 37.5%. Other reports said the party was around 38% to 39%, while one outlet described the result as an emphatic win and another said Radev's bloc was far ahead. The center-right GERB party of Boyko Borissov was projected at 15.1% in one poll, around 15% in another, and about 16% in another, while the liberal PP-DB coalition was projected at about 14% or between 13% and 14%.
A Nation Desperate for Stability
Radev, who resigned as president in January 2026 to run for government leadership, said after the initial projections that "we will do our best to prevent having to go to the polls" again. He said, "It (new election) will be a disaster for Bulgaria," and added, "It would mean going from crisis to crisis when what we have to do is work very hard to emerge from these crises." He also said, "We are ready to consider different options so that Bulgaria can have a regular and stable government," and, "We will do everything possible not to allow us to go (to elections) again. It is ruinous for Bulgaria."
After voting, Radev urged people to take part in the election, saying mass voting was "the only way to drown vote-buying in a sea of free votes." He also said Bulgaria had "a historic chance to break once and for all with the … oligarchic model" and called for a "democratic, modern, European Bulgaria." At campaign rallies, he vowed to "remove the corrupt, oligarchic model of governance from political power." He has also said he wants to rid the country of its "oligarchic governance model."
Voters Turn Out Amid Vote-Buying Crackdown
By 4 p.m. local time, nationwide turnout had reached nearly 35%, according to electoral officials, while one exit poll put turnout at 43.4%. Another report said turnout was expected to be higher than the 39% participation in the third year election of 2024, and one said turnout had slumped to 39% in the last election in 2024. Political parties had called on Bulgarians to vote to curb vote buying, and police seized more than €1m in raids against vote buying in recent weeks and detained hundreds of people, including local councillors and mayors.
The election followed the resignation of a conservative-led government amid nationwide anti-corruption protests last December in the same year. One report said the protests drew hundreds of thousands, mainly young people, to the streets and called for an independent judiciary to tackle widespread corruption. Since 2021, Bulgaria, the EU's poorest member, has been gripped by a political crisis and fragmented parliaments that produced weak governments, none of which survived more than a year before being brought down by street protests or backroom deals in parliament.
Geopolitical Tensions and Democratic Concerns
Radev, 62, was described as a former air force general, former fighter pilot and air force commander, and as a former president for nine years before stepping down in January. He led the newly formed center-left Progressive Bulgaria grouping, which was described as left-leaning, center-left, pro-Russia, Russia-friendly and, by critics, pro-Russian. He has advocated renewing ties with Russia, opposed military aid to Ukraine, denounced a 10-year defence agreement signed last month between Bulgaria and Ukraine, and said he would not use Bulgaria's veto to block EU aid to Kyiv. He has officially denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He also opposes the EU's green energy policy, which he called naive "in a world without rules."
Borissov, who has served three terms as Bulgaria's prime minister and headed the country virtually uninterrupted for close to a decade, cast his vote in Bankya, on the outskirts of Sofia, and said he did not see who GERB could enter a coalition with. He said GERB would not enter any coalitions and would instead act as constructive opposition and take part in topics related to geopolitics, such as national defense. He also said GERB had an "extremely pro-European position," underlining its support for Ukraine and Brussels, and during the campaign said the party had "fulfilled the dreams of the 1990s," including Bulgaria joining the eurozone this year. Borissov dismissed suggestions that Radev brought something "new."
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time, or 0400 GMT, and closed at 8 p.m. local time, or 1700 GMT. One report said Radev arrived at his group's headquarters shortly before polling stations closed and was greeted with applause by his team. Preliminary results were expected on Monday. Bulgaria is a member of the European Union and NATO, and it joined the eurozone on January 1 shortly after entering the border-free Schengen travel area in the same year. The country has a population of 6.5 million.
Why This Matters:
Bulgaria's eighth election in five years underscores the corrosive impact of institutional instability and corruption on democratic governance in the EU's poorest member state. Since 2021, hundreds of thousands of citizens, mainly young people, have taken to the streets demanding an independent judiciary capable of tackling widespread corruption, yet fragmented parliaments have produced weak governments that none survived more than a year. The persistence of vote-buying—evidenced by police seizing more than €1m and detaining hundreds including local officials—reveals how economic inequality and oligarchic influence undermine electoral integrity. While Radev campaigned against the "oligarchic model," his positions opposing military aid to Ukraine and the EU's green energy policy raise concerns about Bulgaria's commitment to European solidarity and climate action at a moment when collective democratic institutions face pressure from authoritarian influences. The outcome will determine whether Bulgaria can build stable governance structures capable of addressing corruption and inequality, or whether political fragmentation will continue leaving millions without effective representation.