Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 2, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleFormer Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has registered a new coalition—rather than a standalone party—to contest the snap parliamentary elections scheduled for April 19, 2026, citing tight legal deadlines. Polls show his formation leading the race with over 25% support.
SOFIA, March 2 (Reuters) - Bulgaria’s former President Rumen Radev has registered a three-party political alliance called Progressive Bulgaria to run in a parliamentary election on April 19, the country's eighth in seven years, he said on Monday.
Radev, who stepped down from his mostly ceremonial role in January, is one of the most popular politicians in Bulgaria, and polls forecast that his coalition could get more than 30% of the vote.
Before resigning nearly a year early, Radev had wielded considerable behind-the scenes influence during a period of political instability that saw the latest government collapse on December 11.
The government resigned following weeks of street protests over tax hikes and its perceived failure to tackle corruption.
"'Progressive Bulgaria' is the answer to the expectations of Bulgarians for dismantling the oligarchic corruption model. In order to succeed, we will fight for a decisive victory and it depends on the voice of all Bulgarians," Radev wrote in a Facebook post.
Progressive Bulgaria brings together the left-leaning parties Our People Movement, Social Democratic Party, and political movement Socialdemocrats.
Bulgaria, which joined the euro zone on January 1, has faced prolonged political instability, with parties unable to form stable ruling coalitions since 2021 in a fragmented parliament.
(Reporting by Alex Lefkowiz; Ivana Sekularac; editing by Edward McAllister and Andrei Khalip)
Rumen Radev is the former President of Bulgaria.
He announced the news on his X profile.
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