Bulgaria’s election on Sunday may see a ‘new Orbán’ as prime minister in Sofia

Former Bulgarian president (2017 to January 2026) Rumen Radev appears to be on his way back — but this time, to the prime minister’s office. The former air force commander with pro-Russian views, who in January stepped down from the presidency in order to run in Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections, is promising a fight against the all‑pervasive “mafia state”, which he said was undermining the European Union’s least developed member state.