The Progressive Bulgaria coalition leads in the general elections

The Progressive Bulgaria coalition, founded by former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, won the general elections held in the country on Sunday by a wide margin over its closest rivals.

According to unofficial results published by Bulgarian television after more than 90% of the votes were counted, the Progressive Bulgaria coalition received 45% of the votes, giving it 135 seats in the 240-seat parliament.

Speaking to reporters in the capital Sofia, Radev said that this is only the first step, describing it as “a victory of hope over mistrust, and a victory of freedom over fear”.

Radev stressed the need for Bulgaria to be strong, and to be strong within Europe as well.

According to the results announced so far, the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party received 12% of the votes, and the alliance “We Continue Change – Democratic Bulgaria” received the same percentage of votes.

While the “Movement for Rights and Freedoms” obtained 6%, and the Ennahda party obtained 4%, all of these parties were able to pass the electoral threshold.

Radev was born in Dimitrovgrad in 1963, and rose through the military ranks as a pilot, until he became the commander of the Air Force.

Radev left the military in 2016 and entered the world of politics, and in the same year he was elected president of the country.

In the 2021 presidential elections in Bulgaria, Radev was re-elected for a second term, before announcing his resignation from office in January 2026.

With the “Progressive Bulgaria Coalition” leading the election results, he has once again highlighted his achievements during his ten years as president.

Radev is known for adopting a cautious stance towards EU policies, and he has previously attracted attention with his statements calling for the need to continue dialogue with Russia.

Radev also expressed reservations about sending military aid to Ukraine.