Bulgaria ex-president wins parliamentary majority

Bulgarian ex-president Rumen Radev, an EU critic who has called for renewing ties with Russia, took an absolute majority in parliamentary elections that could spell an end to the country's half-decade of political uncertainty, according to near complete vote results on Monday. 

The European Union's poorest member has experienced eight votes since 2021, when anti-graft rallies brought down the conservative administration of long-time pro-European leader Boyko Borissov.

The Kremlin was quick to applaud Radev.

"Evidently we look favourably upon Radev's words (regarding closer ties with Moscow) ... as well as those of certain other European leaders regarding their commitment to resolving issues through dialogue," said  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. 

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said "Bulgaria is a proud member of the European family and plays an important role in tackling our common challenges", adding: "I look forward to working together".

Radev, 62, who resigned earlier this year after nine years as president, ran in Sunday's vote on a pledge to fight corruption, bringing together a wide spectrum of voters, with the turnout the highest since 2021.

Radev's Progressive Bulgaria grouping secured 44.7 percent in Sunday's vote, according to official results with 98.3 percent of the votes counted, putting him on course to gain some 130 seats in the 240-seat parliament.

The landslide victory marks the first outright parliamentary majority for a single formation in Bulgaria since 1997 when a centre-right, pro-European grouping won.

Borissov's GERB party slumped to 13.4 percent of the vote, running neck and neck with the liberal PP-DB coalition, which stood at 12.7 percent, according to the electoral commission's results.

The far-right Vazrazhdane party and the Turkish and Roma minority party MRF also were set to win seats.

- ' Victory of hope' -

"PB has won unequivocally -- a victory of hope over distrust, a victory of freedom over fear," Radev told reporters as projections trickled in.

He said Bulgaria would "make every effort to continue on its European path".

"But believe me, a strong Bulgaria and a strong Europe need critical thinking and pragmatism. Europe has fallen victim to its own ambition to be a moral leader in a world with new rules," the former air force general added.

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Radev has said he wants to rid the Balkan nation of 6.5 million people of its "oligarchic governance model".

He supported anti-corruption protests last year that brought down the latest conservative-backed government.

While Radev can govern on its own, "the real question" is whether he will take "real steps" against high-level corruption, including through reforms of the judiciary, political analyst Teodor Slavev said.

For key judicial or constitutional changes requiring a two-thirds majority, he will need support in parliament from other parties.

- 'Eurosceptic' path -

Radev is expected to face "pressure" to lead Bulgaria down a "eurosceptic" path, both from within his own party and the far-right opposition, according to Daniel Smilov, a political scientist at the Center for Liberal Strategies.

"His initial signals are that he will pursue a pro-European policy and will not block the EU... The whole question is whether those signals will actually be followed through," he told AFP.

Ahead of the vote, Radev urged "practical relations with Russia, based on mutual respect and equal treatment".

He has also criticised a 10-year defence agreement signed last month between Bulgaria and Ukraine, which has been battling Russia's full-scale invasion since 2022.

He has opposed Bulgaria sending arms to Ukraine, but said he would not use his country's veto to block EU decisions.

Borissov, who headed the country virtually uninterrupted for close to a decade, congratulated Radev  Sunday but warned "winning elections is one thing, governing is another".

Political parties had urged Bulgarians to vote in order to curb the effectiveness of vote buying.

In recent weeks, police have seized more than one million euros in raids against vote buying and detained hundreds of people, including local councillors and mayors.

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