Bulgaria re-elects outgoing President Roumen Radev to continue anti-corruption fight

The outgoing president, Roumen Radev, largely won in the second round of the elections Sunday, November 21 in Bulgaria, an expected victory which comes to consolidate the anti-corruption movement engaged in negotiations to form a government and to emerge from the political crisis.

He won between 63 and 65% of the vote, according to exit estimates from three polling institutes. His opponent Anastas Guerdjikov, who presented himself with the support of the conservative party Gerb of ex-prime minister Boïko Borissov, is credited with 31 to 33% of the vote.

In this parliamentary republic of the Balkans, it is the government which defines the policy, the president having an essentially ceremonial role. But Roumen Radev, a novice when he won in 2016, has given the function another dimension and has established himself over the years as a key figure in the political game.

Leading the first round on November 14 with more than 49% of the vote, this 58-year-old former fighter pilot and ex-chief of the armed forces was re-elected on the promise of completing his mission of ” change “.

A president committed to corruption

In the summer of 2020, Mr. Radev clearly sided with the demonstrators, calling for the resignation of conservative Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. After the April 4 elections which sealed the fall of his enemy but led to a political impasse, the general chose new faces to compose the interim government, which gained wide popularity for having exposed corrupt practices of the Borissov era.

These are two former ministers of this team who won, Sunday, November 14, the legislative ballot at the head of their new formation, Let’s continue the change. Kiril Petkov, who is running for the post of prime minister, and his sidekick, Assen Vassilev, this week started negotiations to get out of a crisis unprecedented since the end of the communist regime.