Bulgaria voted out its longtime governing party in national elections on Sunday, with exit polls showing former President Rumen Radev's new Progressive Bulgaria coalition leading with 37-38 percent of the vote. The center-right GERB party, which has dominated Bulgarian politics for a decade, was pushed into second place. We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria came third with 13-14 percent.

The election was triggered by mass protests in December that toppled the government amid widespread discontent over corruption. Voter turnout exceeded 46 percent, a significant increase from the 34 percent recorded in 2024. Six parties crossed the 4 percent threshold to secure parliamentary seats, providing more stability than the fragmented parliaments of recent years.

Political analysts said the results signal a clear rejection of the old guard. Daniel Smilov from the Center for Liberal Strategies said the new Parliament would have a strong anti-corruption majority, marking the end of GERB and DPS dominance. Radev has promised to fight corruption and dismantle the influence of powerful politicians Boyko Borissov and Delyan Peevski.