Progressive Bulgaria takes commanding early lead in parliamentary elections

SOFIA, Bulgaria (MNTV) – The Progressive Bulgaria coalition led by former President Rumen Radev was holding a commanding lead in early results from Sunday’s parliamentary elections, with preliminary figures pointing toward a possible governing majority in the country’s deeply fragmented political landscape.

With just over 14% of ballots counted, Progressive Bulgaria was at 43.7% according to the Central Election Commission, per Nova TV.

A parallel count by polling agencies put the coalition at roughly 45%, with projections from research center Trend suggesting it could win 134 seats in the 240-member parliament — above the 121 seats needed to form a government without coalition partners.

The We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition was running second at 15.22%, followed by the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria-Union of Democratic Forces at 12.49%.

The Revival party stood at 4.91% and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms was projected at 4.39%, narrowly clearing the threshold required to enter parliament. A total of 14 political parties and 10 alliances were competing.

Voter turnout stood at 34.63% as of 4 p.m. local time.

The vote comes after years of political instability that has left Bulgaria unable to sustain stable governance.

Since 2021, the Balkan country has cycled through fragmented parliaments, failed coalition negotiations and repeated caretaker administrations, making a clear majority result potentially transformative for the country’s political future.