Rumen Radev Becomes Bulgaria’s Prime Minister After His Party Wins Parliamentary Majority

Rumen Radev was named Bulgaria’s new prime minister on Thursday after winning the country’s parliamentary elections last month. The 62-year-old former fighter pilot resigned earlier this year as president to participate in the election. He received the mandate to govern from President Iliana Iotova and presented his cabinet line-up on Thursday.

Radev and his cabinet members are set to be confirmed by parliament on Friday. Last month's election delivered the first outright majority for a single formation in Bulgaria since 1997. 5 million people has seen eight elections in the space of five years.

Bulgaria has been plagued with political crises since anti-corruption rallies in 2021. The conservative administration of long-time pro-European leader Boyko Borissov was brought down by those rallies. The latest conservative-backed government resigned last year after a series of anti-graft protests, which Radev supported.

Radev ran on a ticket focused on fighting corruption and cleaning up Bulgaria’s oligarchic model. He is a staunch EU critic and has campaigned on resuming dialogue with Russia. "Through the vote, Bulgarians confirmed their desire for stable institutions and for the defence of freedom, democracy and justice," Radev said after receiving the mandate to govern from President Iliana Iotova.

Euronews reported that Radev inherits the task of drafting a 2026 budget, addressing rising inflation and reforming a paralysed judicial system. Bulgaria must undertake a series of reforms, particularly against corruption, to unlock nearly €400 million in funds from the European Union.

Bulgaria ranks as the EU's most corrupt country alongside Hungary in Transparency International's corruption perception index.

Radev, who is 62 years old, takes power at a time when the country continues to grapple with the legacy of repeated political instability triggered by public demands for accountability.