The election victory of Rumen Radev and the success of the "Progressive Bulgaria" project are permanently rearranging the political map in our country. This was stated by the political scientist Parvan Simeonov from the "Measure" agency in the "Interview in NOVA News".
According to him, the result of over 1.4 million votes is the result of a powerful wave in the last days of the campaign. “Over 800,000 people have made their decision in the last days. When there is a wave, it catches up in the end – people vote for the winner, they vote conformist or for the lesser evil”, commented Simeonov.
The political scientist emphasized that Rumen Radev managed to “put out all his cards”, foreseeing social processes – from economic instability and rising prices to the development of the war in Ukraine. “Radev predicted that the longer this war continues, the more Ukraine will decrease in territorial terms and that it must stop”, the expert pointed out.
Simeonov drew an interesting parallel between Radev and Boyko Borisov as figures of balance. “One balancer, as Borisov was, will be replaced by another – Radev. The difference is that Borisov was trying to follow public opinion and Western partners, while Radev will not try to follow – he will try to lead”, he explained.
In his analysis, Simeonov pointed out that a new type of constructive conservatism is emerging on the political horizon. He compared Radev's approach to that of Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Giorgia Meloni in Italy. According to him, Radev manages to “sink” the radical formations by channeling pro-Russian sentiments in a more systematic and moderate direction, which sounds loyal to the EU and NATO when directed outwards.
”Radev is recognized by Bulgarians as the new center. He talks about inequalities, uses social democratic rhetoric – freedom, justice, solidarity, but his demographic profile is absolutely similar to that of GERB in their good years”, the political scientist emphasized.