Victor Orbán, a pain in the European Union’s side, is no longer in office. Although, the EU cannot celebrate just yet, as Rumen Radev might have just taken his place. After nearly 10 years as Bulgaria’s President, Radev was recently named the prime minister-designate of Bulgaria.

In the last 5 years, Bulgaria has had 8 elections for their head of state. Even though each government breakdown has their own unique characteristics, it can be summed up into a simple sentence. No coalition had the numbers of support within the legislature, and there was limited public trust. 

Radev is not your standard politician. Before being elected into the President’s office in 2016, he was not a career politician. Radev was a member in the Bulgarian Air Force. He even ran for office as an independent, even though he was later supported and nominated by the Bulgarian Socialist Party. 

In more ways than one, Radev is breaking new strides. First, with his new political party, Progressive Bulgaria, the party won the first majority in the National Assembly since 1997. Additionally, he was also the first President to resign from office. With this successful path to Prime Minister, the real question is will this government remain for the long term?

What was the appeal

As mentioned previously, Bulgaria had been politically unstable since 2021. There had been 8 different elections, with no leader to show for it and a handful of failed mandates. The government was stuck. In December of 2025, there were mass protests about Bulgarian corruption.

In January of 2026, Radev had resigned from office. By March, he had registered with Progressive Bulgaria to contest elections. By April, he was the prime-ministral candidate in parliament. Within a matter of four months, Radav had jumped from one high office to the next. 

Radav had more power than the average president in a parliamentary system. Because of all the failed coalitions, he became visible in the executive power. He was more involved with managing transitions in government since there was no other person to share the executive power. Between the existing visibility, and having a majority in the National Assembly, which had been unheard of, it almost seems like a clear choice.

How Orbán is Radev

Orbán leaving office was not just great news for Hungary, but for the EU as well. Between his Pro-Russian rhetoric and alleged misuse of EU funds, there was a sigh or release when he lost his most recent election. As Peter Magyar, the new Prime Minister of Hungary, works fast to dismantle many of Orbán’s anti-EU policies, our focus now must shift elsewhere. 

The main concern in where these two characters align lies in their pro-Russian rhetoric. Russia, being both a global superpower and still in an active war with Ukraine, is still an “existential” enemy to the EU. If there is one thing that is clear, Radav does not seem to consider Russia a threat. 

Even though it would appear that most of the focus for Radav is rooting out corruption within Bulgaria, both his and Progressive Bulgaria have made statements and actions that show at least a friendly attitude towards Russia. Radav has advocated for resuming energy ties with Russia after they were severed in 2024 due to EU sanctions.  Even members of Progressive Bulgaria have said “the outcome of the war (with Ukraine) will provide the answer,” when asked if Putin is an aggressor. 

Orbán, given the fact he had 16 years as prime minister, had a much closer relationship with Russia. He maintained economic and political ties, and opposed sanctions, and continued purchasing energy from Russia, even after the EU sanctions against it. Orbán acted as a roadblock between the EU and Russia. 

Orbán also had the time to break down the democratic institutions. Between gerrymandering and packing the courts with people who were loyal to him, Orbán had a tight hold on the Hungarian government.  Radav had made it one of his goals to help make the Judicial system in Bulgaria more independent. The goal is that it will help root out some of the existing corruption. 

The European Union may be ready to move on from Orban’s leave from office, but it should not let its guard down. Will Radav go down the path of democratic restoration and strengthening, or does the EU need to keep their eyes peeled? Only time will tell.