The Role of President R. Radev in the Political Struggle in Bulgaria (2016‒2024)

Bulgaria embarked on the path of democratic transformation in 1989. Over the decades since then, the chosen development model has revealed its weaknesses: political corruption, influence trading, merging of parties with business, low level of public trust in democratic institutions. These features by the end of the 2010s led to the situation when the head of state, who according to the Constitution was assigned a representative rather than a political role, began to take greater part in the party-political system than is customary in parliamentary republics. This phenomenon became possible due to a powerful demand in society for a political alternative, which the existing parties were unable to offer. As a result, President Rumen Radev found himself in the role of an independent political center. His actions played an important role in organising the mass protests of 2020 and setting off the subsequent political crisis of 2021‒2023. The internal political turbulence accompanying Radev's presidency led to technical governments appointed by him and responsible to him ruled the country for a total of almost two years. The growing influence of Radev and the deterioration of relations between him and the leading parliamentary parties in 2023 led to amendments to the Constitution and further limitation of the powers of the president. Despite this, during his eight years as the head of state, Radev managed to maintain his status as the most popular politician in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria, President, Rumen Radev, GERB, “We Continue the Change”, protests of 2020, internal political crisis of 2021‒2023