What is Next for Rumen Radev?

 

The Announcement Which Shook Bulgaria

"We are facing a battle for the future of our homeland. We are ready, we can do it, and we will succeed.” These were the words of former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on January 19, 2026, the day he willingly resigned from his post. This is the first time in Bulgaria's history that a president has stepped down from his post by his own will.

 

Who is Rumen Radev?

Rumen Radev was the President of the Republic of Bulgaria for nine years. With his two mandates, Radev's presidency is said to be one of the most dynamic and contested ones in Bulgaria's history with 51% of Bulgarians expressing trust in him. He was a former air force commander, when in 2016 he was first elected president, followed by his second mandate in 2021.

Ever since the first time he was elected, he always positioned himself as a critic of corruption and the political elites. In 2020, Radev even supported the protests demanding the resignation of the third GERB government and especially against Prime Minister Borisov and the chief prosecutor at that time, Ivan Geshev. Radev also stood against the leader of DPS - New Beginning, Delyan Peevski, who was sanctioned for corruption by the US and the UK under the Magnitsky Law.

He used thе euro question as a tool to get closer to Euroskeptic parties. On January 1, 2026, Bulgaria officially joined the Eurozone. He continued using this subject as a way of criticizing parliamentary groups. This topic remained central until the announcement of his resignation.

He expressed views that were different from the majority, including on the subject of Russia's war against Ukraine. He blamed Еurope, not Moscow, for the continuation of military operations.

 

The Reactions

The reactions to his resignation varied - the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms(DPS), Ahmed Dogan, and a few other parties welcomed Radev. 

The PP-DB coalition criticized him, even declaring him as an opponent. 

GERB and DPS-New Beginning have remained silent so far. 

Vazrazhdane welcomed Radev's entry into active politics, with its leader Kostadin Kostadinov telling him to get ready to answer questions, from which he will no longer be able to hide from.

BSP also reacted positively, presenting his move as beneficial to politics. 

 

Strong Public Support

Recent sociological data indicates that voters continue to express the most trust in Rumen Radev. According to the sociological research, conducted by “Market links”  25,6% of the voters will most definitely support Rumen Radev. lso states that if there were elections right now, a project associated with Rumen Radev would attract significant voter support, approximately supported by one million voters, according to Svobodna Evropa- a figure rarely reached by any single party since 2017. 

 

What comes Next?

He left the institution in the hands of Iliana Yotova, the former Vice-President of Bulgaria. She will be the President of Bulgaria until the next presidential elections, which will take place in autumn 2026. She is officially the first woman President of the Republic of Bulgaria.

In his resignation, Rumen Radev hinted at leading a political project and participating in the upocoming parliamentary elections. In the first interview since his resignation on the show “Panorama” on Bulgarian National Television (BNT), he confirmed his involvement in the snap parliamentary elections by joining an already existing party. He promised to announce the name of the party on March 4 the latest, because he does not want the participants being "shot with every kind of arsenal."

He also confirmed that there will be a political party created by him, but it is going to be a work in progress after the elections. The party is expected to be positioned between pro-European and sovereignist ideas, aimed at fighting oligarchy.

Even though the party structure is still absent, data from the sociological agencies  “Market Links,” “Myara,” “trend,” indicates that his involvement is already generating strong electoral support, coming from approximately one million voters, according to Svobodna Evropa - a figure rarely reached by any single party since 2017. This can be translated into more than 30% of decided voters, which positions him ahead of GERB. 

Moreover, the analysis conducted by Svobodna Evropa states that his support comes from previously disengaged voters, citizens who are shifting away from established parties and dissatisfied with figures such as Boiko Borisov and Delyan Peevski.

 

 

Edited by Vasil Paskov and Hary Dikov

  

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