Sofia, 20 April 2026 (dpa/MIA) - The coalition of Bulgaria's pro-Russian former president Rumen Radev is heading for a landslide victory in the country's snap parliamentary election, projections suggested early on Monday.

The centre-left Progressive Bulgaria (PB) coalition led by Radev, who resigned in January to be able to run in the election, is on course to win up to 45% of the vote, according to several polling institutes.

That would give Progressive Bulgaria up to 140 lawmakers in the 240-seat parliament, enough for an absolute majority, according to the projections.

The centre-right GERB-SDS, a pro-Western alliance that led the last government, and the pro-European We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria alliance (PP-DB) were battling for second place on 12% to 13%, pollsters said.

PP-DB had called the mass demonstrations in December that eventually led to the collapse of the previous administration.

Some 6.5 million people were eligible to vote, following a brief election campaign in the EU and NATO country that was dominated by concerns over inflation and corruption, which Radev has pledged to eliminate.

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party also appeared likely to clear the 4% threshold needed to enter parliament, with up to 7% of the vote.

The United States and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on the DPS's influential leader, Delyan Peevski, for alleged corrupt activities.

The pro-Russian, far-right Revival party was projected to slump to around 4%, down sharply from 13.3% in 2024.

The snap vote marked the country's eighth parliamentary election in five years. Official final results are expected by Thursday.

Photo: epa