
Radev seeks to break Bulgaria's deadlock by targeting the oligarchy
Rumen Radev, Bulgaria’s former president and air-force chief, runs on a pledge to topple the country’s oligarchic ‘mafia state’ and break a political deadlock that has produced seven prime ministers in five years, but polls show his Progressive Bulgaria at about 31% and his Kremlin-leaning Ukraine stance and vague platform raise questions about forming a stable coalition and Bulgaria’s EU/NATO alignment.