Varna, Bulgaria, May 8 (EFE).- The pro-Russian and Eurocritic Rumen Radev was elected Friday as the new Prime Minister of Bulgaria with the support of 124 of the 240 members of the parliament, after having won with an absolute majority the early elections last month, the eighth in five years.
The 64-year-old former air force officer stepped down as president in January after nine years in office, and founded the Progressive Bulgaria party, gathering popular support and going on to win 131 of the 240 seats in National Assembly, or parliament, as it secured 44.6 percent of the votes polled.
The new head of government announced shortly before Friday’s vote that tackling the rising cost of living would be his first priority.
He also said it would be difficult for the country not to accumulate more public debt but promised there would be no tax increases or cuts in social benefits.
Among the other priorities, he listed the approval of the national budget, reforming the judicial system and destroying the “oligarchic model that has hijacked the State.»
Following Radev’s election, Parliament also gave the approval to the new government, the first with a solid majority and expected to overcome the institutional paralysis that has led Bulgaria to have seven different prime ministers since 2021.
Radev won the elections with a nationalist message focused on the regeneration of the state, national security and the fight against corruption.
He also advocates maintaining dialogue with Moscow and opposes sending military aid to Ukraine, arguing that it prolongs the conflict. EFE
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