Progressive Bulgaria party wins elections
Written by journalist Danylo Aleksandrov. BBC reports, that Sunday’s elections in Bulgaria were won by Progressive Bulgaria party, led by Rumen Radev. It is reported, that Progressive Bulgaria party has won enough seats in the parliament (135 out of the 240) to gain a majority. This reflects popularity of Radev and his party, which rose after the the previous government tried to adopt a controversial budget in December. This caused protests, which were supported by Radev, who was the country’s president then. The current elections became 8th in 5 years.
Progressive Bulgaria won over the coalition of liberal PP-DB parties, which won 15% of the votes, and GERB party led by former prime-minister Boiko Borisov, which was supported by 13% of the voters. Despite this, Radev would still need coalition partners to pass crucial legislation like ending political pressure on the judiciary, which would need a two thirds majority. He has laready said that he is looking for such partners.
In his speech on the occasion of victory, Radev thanked his voters for support, and promised "a strong Bulgaria in a strong Europe". He stressed the need for a new, better security architecture for Europe, as well as efforts to return its competitiveness and strong industry – a contribution which will be made by Bulgaria under his leadership. He created a new movement after the end of his 9-year term as a president in January of this year. Radev’s campaign focused on combating corruption and restoring stability to the country’s government.
Regarding external affairs, Radev is seen by many as a kind of a pro-Russian politian, a thought reinforced by his intention to renew a dialog with Moscow, though condemning the Russian invasion. A more concerning of his plans for some is cutting military aid to Ukraine, which relies heavily on foreign imports of weapons. Despite this, observers note that this is not the end of Bulgarian aid, as it can be given to Ukraine through third countries. Finally, the general consensus is that Radev will not become the second Orbán, with his statement that his country will not block a new credit for Ukraine as the evidence.
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