EU critic Rumen Radev named new Bulgarian prime minister

Published connected 07/05/2026 - 21:01 GMT+2•Updated 21:11

The victor of Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections past month, Rumen Radev, was named the country’s caller premier curate connected Thursday. His landslide triumph successful past month's parliamentary predetermination raises hopes for a unchangeable authorities successful the Balkan nation, which has seen 8 elections successful the abstraction of 5 years.

Radev ran connected a summons focused connected warring corruption and “cleaning up” what helium described arsenic Bulgaria’s “oligarchic model”. Radev, who resigned earlier this twelvemonth arsenic president to enactment successful the election, is simply a staunch EU critic, and has campaigned connected resuming dialog with Russia.

“(Through the vote, Bulgarians) confirmed their tendency for unchangeable institutions and for the defence of freedom, ideology and justice," said Radev aft receiving the mandate to govern from President Iliana Iotova.

The 62-year-old erstwhile combatant aviator besides presented his furniture line-up connected Thursday.

Radev inherits a bid of challengese, including drafting a 2026 budget, addressing rising ostentation and reforming a paralysed judicial system.

He indispensable besides undertake a bid of reforms, peculiarly against corruption, to unlock astir €400 cardinal successful funds from the European Union. Radev and his furniture members are acceptable to beryllium confirmed by parliament connected Friday.

Last month's predetermination delivered the archetypal outright bulk for a azygous enactment successful Bulgaria since 1997.

The mediocre Balkan federation of 6.5 cardinal radical has been plagued with governmental crises since anti-corruption rallies rocked the state successful 2021, bringing down the blimpish medication of long-time pro-European person Boyko Borissov.

The latest conservative-backed authorities resigned past twelvemonth aft a bid of anti-graft protests, which Radev supported. Bulgaria ranks arsenic the EU's astir corrupt state alongside Hungary successful Transparency International's corruption cognition index.