Bulgaria has a new government just under three weeks after its eighth general election in five years.
The parliament in Sofia on Friday approved a single-party Cabinet formed by former president Rumen Radev. The new government, with him as prime minister, replaced a caretaker Cabinet after taking the oath of office.
Radev received 124 votes in the parliamentary vote, with 70 legislators voting against him and 36 abstaining.
Radev's centre-left party, Progressive Bulgaria (PB), emerged as the strongest force from the snap election on April 19 with 44.6% of the vote. Radev, a former general, declared war on "corruption and oligarchy."
In his government statement, Radev reaffirmed that Bulgaria would be a "dignified and effective" country in Europe and the world.
However, he said his government would seek to "defend Bulgarian interests" within the alliances of which Bulgaria is a member, such as the European Union and NATO.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Radev on his election as prime minister. "At a time of profound geopolitical change," she wrote on X, "we have a strong agenda to work on."
Bulgaria adopted the euro at the start of the year – albeit without a budget for 2026. According to Radev, the top priority for his government is the adoption of a current budget.
The former fighter air force pilot also cited accessing EU recovery funds, combating soaring prices and judicial reform as priority tasks.
Radev stepped down as president in January 2026, a year before the end of his second term, to stand in the parliamentary election.
He is regarded as pro-Russian and has consistently advocated for a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine. He had also spoken out against the EU's sanctions against Russia, which he said were damaging Bulgaria's economy.
