Rumen Radev, who won Bulgaria’s elections last month on promises to fight graft, was named prime minister on Thursday, raising hopes of a stable government in the EU member after eight votes in five years.
Radev, an EU critic who wants renewed dialogue with Russia and who resigned as president earlier this year to run in the election, has vowed to dismantle the “oligarchic model”.
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 from President Iliana Iotova.
The 62-year-old former general and fighter pilot also presented his Cabinet line-up.
Radev inherits a series of urgent issues, including drafting a 2026 budget, addressing rising inflation and reforming a paralysed judicial system.
He must also tackle a series of reforms, particularly against corruption, to unlock nearly 400 million euros in funds from Brussels.
Parliament on Friday is to confirm Radev and his ministers.
– ‘Classic military man’ –
The April 19 vote, where Radev’s centre-left coalition Progressive Bulgaria won 131 of 240 seats, delivered the first outright parliamentary majority for a single formation in Bulgaria since 1997.
The Balkan nation of 6.5 million people — the EU’s poorest country — has been mired in political crisis since anti-corruption rallies in 2021 brought down the conservative administration of long-time pro-European leader Boyko Borissov.
The latest conservative-backed government resigned last year after fresh anti-graft demonstrations, which Radev supported.
Radev’s ministers are largely former presidential advisers and others close to him, including a former air force colleague as defence minister.
Since the elections, Radev has not made any public statements except for at parliament’s inaugural session last month, and the composition of his cabinet was kept secret until the last moment.
“Radev has zero tolerance for leaks. He’s a classic military man,” one of his close associates told AFP.
– ‘No radical turn’ –
A critic of the European Union’s energy policies and advocating “pragmatic” relations with Moscow, Radev has drawn the support of Russophile Bulgarians and is described as pro-Russian by his detractors — a label he vigorously rejects.
Before the vote, he had said that he would not veto EU aid destined for Ukraine, but that Bulgaria would not participate in its financing.
“In terms of foreign policy, I want to reassure people: there will be no radical or extreme shift, nothing of the sort,” Petar Vitanov, the head of his parliamentary group, declared on Tuesday.
Vitanov asserted that the government’s position would be close to that of “most European leaders”.
On the economic front, Radev has warned about the deterioration of public finances, with a budget deficit that is expected to substantially exceed three percent of GDP.
Annual inflation stood at 7.1 percent in April, three points higher than the 4.1 percent recorded the previous month, mainly due to rising fuel prices. Last month’s inflation was the highest in the eurozone.
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