Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
21-04-2026
SOFIA: Bulgarians have started voting in the eighth parliamentary election in five years after mass protests brought down the previous Conservative-led government in December.
Polling stations opened at 7am local time (0400 GMT) and are due to close at 1700 GMT, according to media.
Sunday’s vote is significant as it could bring to power a left-leaning, pro-Russian former president Rumen Radev just days after voters in Hungary rejected the authoritarian policies and global far-right movement of Viktor Orban, who cultivated close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The December protests drew hundreds of thousands of mainly young people to the streets. The protesters called for an independent judiciary to tackle widespread corruption.
Radev, a former air force general, has said he wants to rid the country of its “oligarchic governance model” and backed anti-corruption protests late last year that brought down the conservative-backed government.
He has advocated for renewing ties with Russia and criticized sending military aid to Ukraine. He resigned from the mainly ceremonial presidency in January to launch his bid to lead the government as prime minister.
He leads the newly formed center-left grouping, Progressive Bulgaria. Opinion polls before Sunday’s vote suggested it could gain 35 percent of votes.
Since 2021, the nation of 6.5 million has struggled with fragmented parliaments that produced weak governments. None managed to survive more than a year before being brought down by street protests or backroom deals in parliament.
Who’s running and what’s at stake?
Bulgaria will hold a snap parliamentary election on Sunday, April 19, amid a political crisis in which weak coalitions have failed to thrive and trust in democratic elections has waned. The election, the eighth in five years for the Black Sea nation of some 6.5 million people on the European Union’s southeastern frontier, comes following the resignation of the previous government in December, following weeks of anticorruption protests.
Why is there a snap parliamentary election?
The snap election was announced by former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev in January after leading parties refused a mandate to replace the last government, which resigned amid widespread protests against corruption.
Bulgaria has been racked by political instability for several years, with numerous governments proving unable to muster the support or unity necessary for political survival. Bulgaria has held seven national elections in the past four years most recently in October 2024 amid deep political and social divisions.
The latest political crisis was triggered when Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced the resignation of his cabinet last December, minutes before parliament had been due to vote on a no-confidence motion.
Zhelyazkov resigned after weeks of street protests against endemic state corruption and a planned 2026 budget that would have increased social security contributions and some taxes in a bid to plug state financing shortfalls.
Polls are expected to open at 7am local time (04:00 GMT) and close by 8pm local time (17:00 GMT).
Citing a poll by Bulgarian research firm Alpha Research, the Bulgarian News Agency reported on Friday that more than 3.3 million people are expected at the polls, representing about 60 percent of eligible voters living in the country, compared with 2.57 million who voted in the last parliamentary elections in October 2024. (Int’l News Desk)
