Bulgaria to hold snap election in April as Radev enters race

Bulgaria will hold a snap general election on 19 April, in what could mark a turning point after years of political instability.

President Iliana Yotova announced on Wednesday that she will appoint an interim government led by deputy central bank governor Andrey Gyurov to steer the country towards its eighth election in five years.

The campaign is expected to be shaken up by the candidacy of former president Rumen Radev, who stepped down last month after nearly a decade in office and has confirmed he will contest the vote. Radev has pledged to confront what he describes as entrenched “mafia and oligarchy” networks and is widely seen as benefiting from a strong anti-establishment mood in the EU member state.

However, critics accuse the former air force general of adopting pro-Kremlin positions. He has voiced opposition to military assistance for Ukraine and criticised EU sanctions on Russia.

Bulgaria has struggled with chronic instability, with no government since 2021 completing a full year in office. The latest crisis followed mass anti-corruption protests — the largest in a decade — which forced former prime minister Rosen Zhelyazkov to resign in December.

Although Zhelyazkov’s minority government finalised negotiations for Bulgaria to join the euro area, it was undermined by perceived failures to strengthen the rule of law and address corruption.

Polls suggest Radev may fall short of an outright majority, raising the prospect of coalition talks, while a significant share of undecided voters could prove

via Bloomberg