Battle for Bulgaria: EU opens new front in election war
Populist Rumen Radev leads polls in Bulgaria, challenging EU's Ukraine policy. Brussels may deploy censorship tools to influence the April 19 parliamentary election.
While global attention focuses on Hungary, the European Union is confronting another populist challenge in Bulgaria. Former president Rumen Radev, candidate of the Progressive Bulgaria coalition, leads polls by ten points over centrist Boyko Borissov. The parliamentary election on April 19 marks the eighth vote in five years, following the resignation of Rosen Zhelyazkov after street protests in November.
Radev, who served as president from 2017 until January 2026, has a longstanding rivalry with Borissov, accusing him of corruption and incompetence. However, Brussels' primary concern is his opposition to EU policy on Ukraine. Radev has criticized sanctions against Russia as 'self-destructive,' views a Ukrainian victory as impossible, and advocates for more diplomacy with Moscow.
Faced with this threat to core policies, the Bulgarian establishment has called for EU intervention. Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov activated the Rapid Response System (RRS), claiming Russian interference against Borissov. This mechanism, already deployed in Hungary, allows EU-approved fact-checkers to flag online content as 'disinformation' and request removal from platforms like TikTok and Meta.
The Bulgarian election battle mirrors Brussels' strategy to counter anti-establishment forces, though here it aims to suppress a rising movement rather than unseat an incumbent. With NATO bases and a defense deal with Ukraine, the outcome could significantly impact Western support for Kyiv.