Rumen Radev won a majority in Bulgaria’s parliamentary election this week, giving him the ability to form a single-party government. It was Bulgaria’s eighth general election since 2021, and the first since 1997 to return an outright majority for a single party. After years of coalition churn, there might be a rare break from the near-constant voting.

Radev – a former air force chief, then president, now incoming prime minister – is one of the most recognisable and popular figures in Bulgarian politics. Early international coverage has already cast him as the EU’s next potential disrupter, following Viktor Orbán’s exit from Hungarian politics.

He certainly shares some of Orban’s views. Radev has argued that there is no military solution in Ukraine, criticised Western weapons deliveries and warned against long-term security commitments to Kyiv. He had also voiced concern about the euro, which Bulgaria adopted at the beginning of year, warning it could lead to price rises.

During an unfortunate exchange in Sofia in 2023, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked Radev for calling for negotiations with Moscow, saying: ‘God forbid some tragedy should befall you and you should be in my place…what will you do? Would you say: Putin, please grab Bulgarian territory?’

This has made for easy headlines. Commentators have labelled him ‘pro-Russian’ or ‘Kremlin-friendly’, with some suggesting his victory gives Moscow a new foothold inside the EU.

But........

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