Another Orban? Here’s why you should care about Bulgaria’s upcoming elections

(Martin Fornusek – The Kyiv Independent) A new Russian-friendly leader may soon emerge in the EU and NATO — this time, in the Balkans. A week after Kremlin ally Viktor Orban lost his reelection campaign in Hungary, Bulgaria’s former President Rumen Radev is poised to win the April 19 snap parliamentary election. Radev, Bulgaria’s two-term head of state, resigned in January to lead his new Progressive Bulgaria coalition into the country’s eighth parliamentary elections since 2021, quickly surging in the polls. As president, Radev has repeatedly diverged from Sofia’s pro-Ukraine line by opposing military aid for Kyiv and sanctions against Russia. Hungary has proven that a single member state can hold the entire EU hostage — raising concerns that Bulgaria could become the next spoiler if Radev comes to power. – Another Orban? Here’s why you should care about Bulgaria’s upcoming elections