Former president Rumen Radev won an outright majority in Bulgaria’s snap parliamentary election, final results showed on April 20, paving the way for the country’s first single-party government since 1997.

Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria secured 44.59% of the vote, according to official data after all ballots were counted, putting it on course for about 130 seats in the 240-member parliament, well above the 121 needed to govern alone.

The result ends nearly three decades of coalition rule and could break a cycle of political deadlock that has seen Bulgaria hold eight elections since 2021.

“Progressive Bulgaria wins unequivocally. This is a victory of hope over distrust, of freedom over fear,” Radev said in a Facebook post.

Five parties entered parliament. The centre-right GERB-SDF alliance, led by former prime minister Boyko Borissov, placed second with 13.39%, followed by the pro-European, reformist PP-DB bloc on 12.62%.

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) won 7.12%, while the nationalist Vazrazhdane party took 4.26%.

Several parties from the outgoing parliament failed to clear the 4% threshold, including the Bulgarian Socialist Party.

The last time a single party governed alone was in 1997, when the United Democratic Forces led by Ivan Kostov formed a cabinet.

Radev, 62, a former air force commander who stepped down as president to enter party politics, has pledged to tackle corruption and restore stability. He has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but opposed Western military aid to Kyiv, calling for dialogue with Moscow.

The vote follows the collapse of the previous government in December after anti-corruption protests, and could mark a turning point if Radev delivers a stable administration.