Bulgaria's ex-president leads Russia-friendly party to victory in snap parliamentary elections, exit polls show

Prefer on Google by Abbey Fenbert, The Kyiv Independent news desk Former President and leader of ''Progressive Bulgaria'' Rumen Radev speaks to the media after casting a vote at a voting station for the parliamentary elections in Sofia, Bulgaria, on April 19, 2026. (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated. Progressive Bulgaria, the Kremlin-friendly coalition led by former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, is the projected winner of the country's snap parliamentary elections on April 19, according to multiple exit polls. The coalition is on track to win 37-38% of the vote, exit polls show . While the final results are yet to be tallied, Radev claimed an "uncontested victory" in comments to reporters after the polls closed. Radev has frequently criticized aid to Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia while also opposing Ukraine's ascension to NATO and the European Union . His electoral win marks a victory for pro-Russian representation in the EU a week after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban lost his country's parliamentary vote in a resounding defeat . Radev resigned from the presidency in January to lead his Progressive Bulgaria coalition in a bid for parliament, promising to crack down on corruption. His center-left coalition is made up of former socialist politicians and Radev loyalists. Progressive Bulgaria took a commanding lead in pre-election polls, showing a 10% lead over the GERB-Union of Democratic Forces (SDS) coalition, a center-right populist alliance led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. Exit polls showed Borisov's coalition trailing faring even worse against Progressive Bulgaria, with only 16% of the vote. In a Facebook post after voting closed on April 19, Borisov appeared to concede the election, saying "Congratulations to the winner!" The snap elections come amid longstanding political turmoil in Bulgaria , which has held several elections in the last four years and has been swept by anti-corruption protests. During his nine-year tenure as president, Radev had to appoint seven caretaker governments due to political deadlock and parties' inability to form stable majorities. Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007 and adopted the euro on Jan. 1, 2026 — a decision Radev questioned. Radev has also criticized EU support for Ukraine , calling the war against Russia a "doomed cause" and urging Brussels to stop "pouring weapons" into Kyiv. Radev's positions led to a heated exchange with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Sofia in 2023. More recently, Radev denounced Bulgaria's 10-year security deal with Kyiv, signed by caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov . While some experts hesitate to label Radev as overtly "pro-Russian," his Euroskepticism and lack of support for Kyiv are seen as political openings for the Kremlin. Compared to some of their EU counterparts, Bulgarians — a predominantly Orthodox, Slavic-speaking nation — have held relatively more positive attitudes toward Russia. While Sofia has supplied Kyiv with Soviet-era arms since 2022 , the support has been kept secret for a time due to fears of political fallout.