Politico: Russia Preying on Bulgaria's Next President

Both frontrunners in Bulgaria's presidential race support NATO, but also want Moscow and Sofia to have closer ties, Politico has said.

"Russia is the dominant topic" in the race, a report on the election reads, also calling the list of presidential contenders "an eclectic mix of 21 candidates in the race to succeed Rosen Plevneliev."

"Both [Rumen] Radev and [Tsetska] Tsacheva have tried to balance their country’s interests between Brussels and Moscow, asserting that Bulgaria’s NATO and EU commitments do not preclude a rapprochement with Moscow," the author, Andrew McDowall, has argued, in a reference to the candidates of opposition BSP party and main ruling GERB, respectively.

"Even if Tsacheva wins, Borisov may look to reward the potential support in the presidential runoff of politicians like Karakachanov, which could mean swinging to the right on migration; or the DPS, which would “kill hopes of reform,” the text quotes Balkans expert Dimitar Bechev as saying. 

Politico's report is available here.

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