Bulgarians head to polls to elect parliament for eighth time in 5 years | News

Bulgarians vote to elect a new parliament, after mass protests brought down the previous Conservative-led government in December.

Bulgarians have started voting in the eighth election in five years as they elect a new parliament, after mass protests brought down the previous Conservative-led government in December.

Polling stations opened at 7am local time (0400 GMT), according to AFP journalists. They will close at 1700 GMT.

Sunday’s vote is significant as it could bring to power a left-leaning, pro-Russian former president Rumen Radev – just days after Hungarian voters 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, 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 in late 2025 that brought down the conservative-backed government.

He has has advocated for renewing ties with Russia and slammed sending military aid to Ukraine, resigned from the mostly ceremonial presidency in January, to launch a bid to lead the government as prime minister.

He leads newly formed centre-left grouping Progressive Bulgaria, with opinion polls before Sunday’s vote suggesting the bloc could gain 35 percent of the vote.

Since 2021, the nation of 6.5 million has struggled with fragmented parliaments that produced weak governments, none of which managed to survive more than a year before being brought down by street protests or backroom deals in parliament.