Bulgaria's Pro-Russia Party Secures Parliamentary Majority

Kathmandu. The party of former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, which has called for renewed ties with Russia and criticized the European Union, has secured an absolute majority in the parliamentary elections.

With nearly 98 percent of the votes counted, the results released on Monday clearly indicate a majority for Radev's party, potentially ending half a decade of political uncertainty in the country.

Bulgaria, the poorest member of the European Union, has experienced eight elections since 2021. Anti-corruption protests in Bulgaria previously ousted the long-serving pro-European conservative administration of Boyko Borisov.

Although the election results have not been fully declared, the Kremlin has praised Radev's party for its success.

“We clearly support Radev's statements regarding closer ties with Moscow and the commitment of some other European leaders to resolve issues through dialogue,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated following the majority results for Radev's party, “Bulgaria is a proud member of the European family and plays an important role in facing our shared challenges.”

Radev, 62, who resigned earlier this year after serving nine years as president, campaigned on a pledge to fight corruption in Sunday's vote. This election saw the highest voter turnout since 2021, bringing together a broad spectrum of voters.

As of Monday, with 98.3 percent of the votes counted, Radev's Progressive Bulgaria group received 44.7 percent of the vote in Sunday's election. The results put his party on track to secure 130 seats in the 240-seat parliament.

This marks the first absolute parliamentary majority for a single formation in Bulgaria since the center-right, pro-European group won in 1997.

According to the election commission's declared results, Borisov's GERB party has fallen to 13.4 percent and is competing with the liberal PP-DB coalition. The PP-DB coalition received 12.7 percent of the vote.

The far-right Vazrazhdane party and the MRF, representing the minority Turkish and Roma communities, are also certain to win some seats.