SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s parliament on Friday formally approved Rumen Radev as the new prime minister in a bid to end political instability and spur economic development in the EU member country.
“We have no illusions about the crises and trials facing the government, which will soon be seeking your support – galloping prices, budget, missing reforms, a severe global energy crisis and escalating conflicts,” Radev told lawmakers.
The chamber voted 124-70 with 36 abstentions to elect Radev, a 62-year-old former president, as prime minister.
Radev resigned from the mostly ceremonial presidency in January, a few months before the end of his second term, to launch a bid to lead the government in the more powerful role as prime minister. Bulgaria’s previous conservative government collapsed in December after nationwide anti-corruption protests drew hundreds of thousands of mainly young people to the streets.
Radev’s popularity surged as he cast himself as an opponent of the entrenched mafia and their ties to high-ranking politicians. At campaign rallies he vowed to “remove the corrupt, oligarchic model of governance from political power.”
His Progressive Bulgaria party scored a landslide victory in the April 19 parliamentary election, giving it a comfortable majority, with 131 seats in the 240-seat legislature.
Radev, a former fighter pilot, earned a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Air War College in 2003, before being appointed Bulgarian air force commander. His supporters are divided between those hoping he will put an end to the country’s oligarchic corruption and those lining up behind his euroskeptic and Russia-friendly views.
Although Radev’s pro-Russian stance has raised concerns about Bulgaria’s position in European policymaking, some political analysts expect his future approach to remain moderate, unlike that of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, not least because Bulgaria remains deeply reliant on European funds.
“He will more likely seek to dilute Sofia’s support for Kyiv, for which Bulgaria is a key supplier of ammunition, and push for the resumption of Russian oil and gas imports, prioritizing lower-cost energy supplies,” Florence Thiéry, an analyst at the Credendo insurance group, said in written comments.
“Despite these positions,” she added, “Bulgaria’s full accession to the Schengen Area and its recent adoption of the euro are expected to support continuity in foreign policy, making a reversal of its Euro-Atlantic stance unlikely.”