Sofia, Bulgaria — May 7, 2026
Rumen Radew, Bulgaria’s former president, was officially appointed as the country’s new prime minister on May 7, 2026, following a decisive electoral victory and years of political instability.
Radew secured an absolute majority in parliament after his party won 44.7% of the vote in April’s parliamentary election, marking a rare moment of political clarity for Bulgaria after eight elections in five years. The appointment comes as the EU’s poorest nation grapples with rising inflation, a stalled justice system, and pressure to implement anti-corruption reforms to unlock critical EU funds.
A Mandate for Stability
The election result represents a clear mandate for Radew, who campaigned on dismantling Bulgaria’s oligarchic power structures and restoring public trust in institutions. In a statement after his appointment, he framed the victory as a public demand for stability, quoting in German: *Die Bulgaren hätten mit ihrer Stimmabgabe "ihren Willen bekräftigt, stabile Institutionen zu haben sowie Freiheit, Demokratie und Gerechtigkeit zu verteidigen, indem sie einer einzigen politischen Kraft eine parlamentarische Mehrheit verschafft haben."* ("The Bulgarians have confirmed their will to have stable institutions, freedom, democracy, and justice by giving a single political force a parliamentary majority.")