Brussels 20.04.2026 The Progressive Bulgaria coalition, led by former President Rumen Radev, a Eurosceptic and pragmatic politician, won a landslide victory in Bulgaria’s snap parliamentary elections. According to preliminary estimates, it will secure an absolute majority of seats in parliament.
Rumen Radev: 🇪🇺 EUROPE has FALLEN victim to its own ambition to be a moral leader. pic.twitter.com/kvzdoFTM69
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) April 20, 2026
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With nearly all votes counted, Progressive Bulgaria has received 44.7% of the votes cast and approximately 130 of the 240 seats in the National Assembly.
The centrist-populist GERB-SDS coalition of former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov is in second place with 13.4%.
The GERB-led coalition formed Bulgaria’s penultimate government, which resigned in December following mass protests against corruption.
The bloc of the Continue Change party and the Democratic Bulgaria coalition is in third place with 12.6%.
According to preliminary results of these elections, Radev and Progressive Bulgaria will be able to form a government alone, but Radev has not yet ruled out a coalition with PP-DB.
In addition to the three aforementioned forces, two more political groups are entering parliament, having cleared the 4% threshold. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), which represents the interests of the Turkish minority, currently holds 6.76% of the vote, while the ultra-nationalist Revival Party holds 4.3%. Revival leader Kostadin Kostadinov has repeatedly stated the need to maintain relations with Russia.
Congratulations to Rumen Radev on his victory in the parliamentary elections.Bulgaria is a proud member of the European family and plays an important role in tackling our common challenges.I look forward to working together, for the prosperity and security of Bulgaria and…— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 20, 2026
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Rumen Radev told journalists that he would be ready to form a government with the democratic reformist bloc PP-DB.
Moscow is impressed by the statements of former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, whose party won the parliamentary elections, and several other European leaders about their willingness to resolve problems through pragmatic dialogue with the Russian Federation. This was stated by the Russian leader’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, at a briefing.
🇧🇬 HUGE! Historic Win for Rumen Radev Winning Majority in Bulgaria's Elections.This finally, brought political stability to the Nation since 1997.He is also not Pro-Russian despite the media. He is a pragmatist and is vocal about NOT supplying weapons to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/kKS0AG7xcS— Based Hungary 🇭🇺 (@HungaryBased) April 20, 2026
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According to Peskov, it would be premature to draw sweeping conclusions about a change in the pan-European climate.
“We see, however, that statements of a completely different nature are coming from Brussels,” he noted.
The Kremlin spokesman added that Russia welcomes the statements of Radev and several other European leaders and also believes that any contradictions and “inconsistencies in mutual interests” can and should be resolved “only at the negotiating table.”
“Russia has never rejected dialogue; on the contrary, we are seeking dialogue, but more often than not, this has not yet been reciprocated in Europe,” Peskov noted.
Russia looked set to regain a degree of leverage inside the European Union after Bulgaria’s Kremlin-friendly former president Rumen Radev won a resounding majority in an election that will allow his party to unilaterally form a government. https://t.co/2elGpHNz1R
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 20, 2026
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Reuters, citing official vote results in Bulgaria, reported on April 20 that Radev had won the election “by a wide margin.” The agency said it “sidelines political forces that have long dominated the country and potentially brings the EU and NATO member closer to Moscow.”
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