Sawt Falasteen - Crisis-hit Bulgaria votes in eighth election in five years

The European Union's poorest member has been mired in a political crisis since 2021 when large anti-corruption rallies toppled the conservative government of long-time leader Boyko Borissov.

Radev, a former airforce general who has advocated for renewing ties with Russia and slammed sending military aid to Ukraine, was president for nine years.

He stepped down earlier this year to lead newly formed centre-left grouping Progressive Bulgaria, with opinion polls before Sunday's vote suggesting the bloc could gain 35 percent of the vote.

Radev has said he wants to rid the country of its "oligarchic governance model" and backed anti-corruption protests in late 2025 that brought down the conservative-backed government.

"Radev's cause is for Bulgaria to have a future. We have reached a point where we are questioning the very future of our own country," Lazar Lazarov, a 28-year-old philosophy teacher, told AFP at Radev's final campaign rally in Sofia earlier this week.

"Radev has proven himself as president and as a statesman. He's the one who is most acceptable for the EU, the United States, Russia and, if you like, even for China."

Borissov's pro-European GERB party is likely to come second, according to opinion polls, with around 20 percent, ahead of the liberal PP-DB.

Polling stations will open at 0400 GMT and close at 1700 GMT.

- 'At ease!' -

Radev has slammed the EU's green energy policy, which he considers naive "in a world without rules", as well as any Bulgarian efforts to send arms to Ukraine battling a Russian invasion since 2022.

Pushing for renewed ties with Russia, Radev denounced a 10-year defence agreement between Sofia and Kyiv that was signed last month, which earned him fresh accusations from his opponents of being too soft on Moscow.

The ex-president also stoked dismay by screening images at his rally on Thursday of his meetings with world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin.

In a wave of outrage among pro-European voters on social media, hundreds of users shared a screenshot as proof that Radev sides with the Kremlin.

At the event itself, however, in Bulgaria's largest indoor arena, supporters received Radev with cheers, which he cut short with a military-style "at ease!" to laughter from the audience.

"We need to close ranks," he told some 10,000 supporters, presenting his party as non-corrupt "alternative to the perverse cartel of old-style parties".

Borissov, who headed the country virtually uninterrupted for close to a decade, has dismissed suggestions that Radev brings something "new".

At a rally of his party earlier this week, he insisted GERB had "fulfilled the dreams of the 1990s" with such achievements as the country joining the eurozone this year.

- High turnout expected -

Radev has vowed to avoid a coalition with GERB after the election and also ruled out cooperation with Delyan Peevski, heading the DPS party and sanctioned for corruption by the United States and Britain.

Instead, Radev said he was aiming at an absolute majority in the 240-seat parliament.

A lack of trust in politics has affected voter turnout, which slumped to 39 percent in the last election in 2024.

But with Radev rallying voters, high turnout is expected, according to analyst Boryana Dimitrova from the Alpha Research polling institute.

Political parties have called on Bulgarians to show up for the polls, also to curb the impact of vote buying.

In recent weeks, police have seized more than one million euros in raids against vote buying in stepped-up operations.

They have also detained hundreds of people, including local councillors and mayors.

Y.Zaher--SF-PST