Former President Rumen Radev @BNT
The announced resignation of President Rumen Radev in order to enter the electoral race opens a new phase in Bulgaria’s already complex political situation and raises a series of institutional and political questions about what follows next.
BREAKING: Bulgaria’s President Steps Down to Run in Upcoming Elections (UPDATED)
Under the Constitution, the procedure itself is clear but not instantaneous. The resignation must be submitted to the Constitutional Court, which has to formally establish that the head of state has stepped down of his own free will. There is no legally defined deadline for this ruling. However, since there are no indications of coercion or external pressure, expectations among constitutional experts are that the court will act swiftly.
Once the court confirms the resignation, Vice President Iliyana Yotova automatically assumes the office of president until the end of the mandate. Only after this ruling does the transfer of powers formally take place. From that moment on, Yotova will exercise all presidential powers in full, without restrictions or interim status.
Who Is Iliyana Yotova: Bulgaria’s First Female President
As president, Yotova will inherit the existing presidential administration in its current composition. Changes are not mandatory, but some advisers and secretaries may choose to follow Radev if he forms a political project. Should that happen, Yotova would need to appoint replacements and gradually shape her own team at Dondukov 2.
Even if the institutional transition is short, the Constitutional Court procedure is expected to have a practical impact on the political calendar. It may delay the appointment of a caretaker prime minister and, as a consequence, the formal setting of a date for early parliamentary elections. Before his resignation, Radev already announced that he intends to hold a new round of consultations with the parliamentary parties before selecting a caretaker government.
So far, two possible dates for snap elections have been discussed publicly: March 29 and April 19. Their final confirmation will depend on how quickly the constitutional procedure is completed and how soon the new president moves forward with the steps required under the basic law.
The constitutional framework governing such a scenario is laid out in Article 97, which lists resignation before the Constitutional Court as one of the grounds for early termination of the president’s and vice president’s mandates. The powers of both offices cease only after the court establishes the relevant circumstances. In the event of a presidential resignation, the vice president assumes the role of head of state until the end of the term.
Radev is Bulgaria’s fifth democratically elected president. He won his first term in November 2016 and was re-elected in November 2021. Prior to entering politics, he served as commander of the Bulgarian Air Force between 2014 and 2016. If his resignation is confirmed, he will become the first president elected by direct vote who does not complete his full mandate.
There is no precedent for a sitting Bulgarian president stepping down. The only comparable historical case dates back to the early 1990s, when Vice President Blaga Dimitrova resigned. Zhelyu Zhelev and Dimitrova were elected president and vice president in January 1992. Dimitrova submitted her resignation to the Constitutional Court on June 30, 1993, citing political reasons and stating that she had considered the decision for a long time. On July 6, 1993, the court terminated her mandate early, as recorded in its decision and noted by BTA.
Against this background, Radev’s move marks an unprecedented moment in Bulgaria’s post-1989 political history, one that reshuffles institutional roles while directly influencing the timing and dynamics of the next parliamentary elections.