Former Bulgarian president Rumen Radev will contest the April 19 snap parliamentary elections at the head of a newly registered coalition, Progressive Bulgaria, he announced on social media on March 2.

The move was widely anticipated after Radev stepped down from the presidency on January 23, a year before the end of his second term, fuelling speculation he was preparing to enter party politics. His entry could reshape Bulgaria’s fragmented political landscape as the country heads for its eighth parliamentary vote in five years.

Progressive Bulgaria brings together three parties – the Political Movement Social Democrats, the Social Democratic Party and the Our People Movement – and is co-chaired by former caretaker prime minister Galab Donev and former defence minister Dimitar Stoyanov, both aides to Radev during his presidency.

“Progressive Bulgaria is the answer to Bulgarians’ expectations for dismantling the oligarchic corruption model and for the development of Bulgaria as a modern and democratic European state,” Radev wrote on Facebook. “To succeed, we will fight for a decisive victory, and it depends on the vote of all Bulgarians.”

Documents registering the coalition with Bulgaria’s Central Election Commission were submitted without media presence on March 2.

Recent polls suggest strong support for a Radev-linked formation. A survey by Trend for the newspaper 24 Chasa on February 23 showed the coalition could attract 32.7% of decided voters, well ahead of the centre-right GERB party at 20.4%. A Market Links poll earlier in February put Radev’s coalition on 25.6%, also leading GERB.

During his near-decade in office, Radev appointed seven caretaker governments amid repeated parliamentary deadlock, cultivating a reputation as a powerful challenger to Bulgaria’s political establishment.

Bulgaria has faced prolonged political instability, with successive elections, fragile coalitions and caretaker administrations. The latest crisis followed the resignation of prime minister Rosen Zhelyazkov in December amid protests over corruption, with public anger targeting perceived oligarchic influence.

Radev, a former commander of the Bulgarian Air Force, has faced criticism from pro-Western parties during his presidency for positions seen as sympathetic to Russia, including scepticism over military aid to Ukraine.