Polling stations opened this morning in the eighth election held in the Balkan country in the last five years.
They come amid a political crisis with weak government coalitions failing to survive and citizens’ faith in democratic elections waning.
Polling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. and will close at 5:00 p.m.
Pro-Russian ex-president Rumen Radev is the favorite
According to , the undisputed favorite is the pro-Russian former president Rumen Radev, who promises to bring political stability and eliminate widespread corruption in the country.
The 62-year-old Radev – a eurosceptic former fighter pilot who has opposed military aid to Ukraine – resigned as president in January to run for prime minister, months after massive protests led to the collapse of the previous government in December.
The increased cost of living since Bulgaria adopted the euro in January is one of the issues that are of great concern to citizens. More so, it seems, than Radev’s calls for improved relations with Moscow or for the resumption of oil and gas flows from Russia to Europe.
What do the opinion polls in Bulgaria show?
Friday’s polls put Radev’s party, Progressive Bulgaria (PB), at 35%, up from March. If confirmed at the polls, it will be the best performance of a party in an election contest in Bulgaria for years, although it will not lead to a parliamentary majority.
The interest of voters is also said to have increased. Alpha Research predicted voter turnout to hover around 60%, nearly double the 34% in the June 2024 election.
The polls also reflected disenchantment with former prime minister Boyko Borissov’s once-ruling GERB party, which came in second with 18%.
Radev has ruled out cooperation with GERB and the “Movement for Rights and Freedoms”, whose leader Delian Peevski has been sanctioned for corruption by the US and Britain.
A candidate for the formation of a governing coalition is considered the pro-European party “Continuing the Change – Democratic Bulgaria” (PP-DB), which gathers about 12% of the voting intention and agrees that reforms are needed.
Bulgaria grew rapidly after the fall of the communist regime in 1989 and joined the European Union in 2007. Life expectancy has increased significantly, the unemployment rate is the lowest in the EU, and its economy has gained stronger safeguards since the country joined the eurozone. Yet the scourge of corruption remains: Bulgaria was ranked 84th on Transparency International’s 2025 corruption index, on a par with Hungary, the lowest-rated country in the EU.
“We really hope that something will change and that our corrupt leaders will be replaced,” says 82-year-old Temenuska Vaseva.
