April 19, 2026

Early Parliamentary Elections Held in Bulgaria Today - Eighth in Five Years

Early parliamentary elections are being held in Bulgaria on April 19, the eighth in the last five years. 24 parties and coalitions are participating, with the coalition "Progressive Bulgaria" led by former eurosceptic president Rumen Radev being the main contender for victory. The coalition is expected to win 30-40% of the vote, despite being hastily formed weeks before the elections. Radev himself left the presidency in January amid ongoing mass protests. Media outlets noted that his term was legally his last and predicted he would form a new party for parliamentary elections. BBC and Politico compare Rumen Radev to former Hungarian leader Viktor Orban due to his euroscepticism, refusal to impose sanctions on Moscow, provide aid packages to Kyiv, and his desire to "restore dialogue with Russia." As RBC notes, Bulgaria has been in a prolonged political crisis since 2020, resulting in a series of snap parliamentary elections and frequent government changes. Since 2021, the country has been governed primarily by caretaker governments. Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic, with the National Assembly, a unicameral parliament of 240 deputies, being the key governing body that passes laws and approves the government.