The "Progressive Bulgaria" alliance led by former President Rumen Radev is leading in the parliamentary elections, according to preliminary data, with a result of over 40%.
In the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, the left-centrist coalition "Progressive Bulgaria" led by former President Rumen Radev is in the lead. This is evidenced by preliminary results after processing a third of the ballots, released on the night of Monday, April 20.
According to this data, "Progressive Bulgaria" has garnered the support of 44.59% of voters. The right-centrist alliance of the party "Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria" (GERB) led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, promoting the idea of further integrating Bulgaria into the EU, as well as the liberal alliance "Continuing the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" (PP-DB) are receiving about 12-13% of the votes.
Five parties have a chance to overcome the four percent barrier. Voter turnout in the elections was reported to be 43.4%.
The eighth parliamentary elections in Bulgaria in five years
In the last five years, this is already the eighth parliamentary election in Bulgaria. The current extraordinary elections were called after the resignation of the government led by conservatives, which occurred against the backdrop of mass protests in the country that began in December 2025. At that time, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets demanding the establishment of an independent judiciary and an end to corruption.
The fight against corruption has been made the central theme of Rumen Radev's coalition's election campaign. Observers note that one half of the supporters of this coalition consists of pro-Russian citizens, while the other half is concerned about corruption.
Additionally, the former president is supported by many voters who previously voted for the Bulgarian Socialist Party - the successor to the communists who were in power for 45 years. As AFP reminds, Radev advocates for reducing military aid to Ukraine.
