Rumen Radev Launches “Progressive Bulgaria” Coalition Ahead of April 19 Elections

Former President Rumen Radev has officially registered a new political coalition, “Progressive Bulgaria,” to participate in the snap parliamentary elections scheduled for April 19, the Central Election Commission (CEC) confirmed on Monday. The registration was completed just before 3:00 p.m., with the documents and collected signatures submitted on his behalf by Galab Donev and Dimitar Stoyanov, as Radev was not personally present.

The coalition brings together three political formations: the Political Movement Social Democrats, represented by Elena Noneva; the Social Democratic Party, represented by Todor Barbolov; and the Movement "Our People", represented by Atanas Kalchev. Galab Donev and Dimitar Stoyanov will serve as co-chairs of the “Progressive Bulgaria” coalition.

Radev described the coalition as a response to public demand for dismantling Bulgaria’s oligarchic corruption model and for promoting freedom, solidarity, and justice. In a statement shared on his Facebook profile, he emphasized that “Progressive Bulgaria” aims to foster the development of Bulgaria as a modern, democratic European country. He added that the success of the coalition depends on the participation and support of Bulgarian voters.

The former president expressed gratitude to the co-chairs and the heads of the participating parties for joining the initiative. He underlined that their collective commitment ensures that each vote carries significance, marking the first step toward achieving a decisive victory in the upcoming elections.

Earlier, on January 19, Rumen Radev formally resigned from the presidency, and his duties were assumed by Iliana Yotova following the acceptance of his resignation by the Constitutional Court. The creation of “Progressive Bulgaria” now positions Radev and his allies to contest the early parliamentary vote with a platform focused on transparency, democratic reform, and tackling systemic corruption.