Former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev was formally named Bulgaria’s new prime minister on Thursday, cementing a landslide election victory that shattered the country’s long-fractured political order.
Radev’s newly formed Progressive Bulgaria party secured the first outright parliamentary majority since 1997 in the April 19 vote, ending years of unstable coalitions and repeat votes in the EU member state. The country’s parliament on Thursday approved his appointment as prime minister and signed off on his cabinet lineup.
The former president and air force commander campaigned on anger directed at Bulgaria’s political establishment, blaming traditional parties for years of corruption, instability and backroom dealmaking. After five years of revolving coalitions and eight elections, Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria movement crushed the country’s old political guard.