Progressive Bulgaria
Progressive Bulgaria Прогресивна България | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | PB |
| Leader | Rumen Radev |
| Co-chairs | Galab Donev Dimitar Stoyanov Elena Noneva Todor Barbolov Atanas Kalchev |
| Founder | Rumen Radev |
| Founded | 2 March 2026 |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-left[2] |
| Member parties | PDS SDP DNN |
| Supporting parties | VMRO-BND |
| Colors | Dark green[3] |
| Website | |
| https://progresivnabulgaria.com/ | |
Progressive Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Прогресивна България, romanized: Progresivna Bŭlgariya, PB) is a centre-left political coalition in Bulgaria consisting of three political parties. The coalition is led by former President Rumen Radev, who founded it to contest the 2026 parliamentary election. The coalition was presented on 2 March 2026.[4]
History
Formation
On 2 March 2026, documents for a coalition called "Progressive Bulgaria" were submitted to the Central Electoral Commission of Bulgaria. The coalition included the following parties: the Political Movement "Social Democrats", led by Elena Noneva; the Social Democratic Party, led by Todor Barbolov; and the Our People Movement, led by Atanas Kalchev. Radev himself did not submit the documents; this was done by former Interim Prime Minister Galab Donev and former Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov.[5][6][7] It was announced that Radev would not be part of the Progressive Bulgaria leadership; instead, Donev and Stoyanov would become co-chairs, as well as the leaders of the three mandate-carrier parties.[4]
On 11 March, it was revealed that candidates from VMRO – Bulgarian National Movement would enter the lists of PB. According to party leader Krasimir Karakachanov, there is no formal agreement on the participation of VMRO candidates in the lists of "Progressive Bulgaria", but it was not ruled out that individual representatives would be included in them.[8][9] The party had earlier announced its support for the coalition in a decision by the party's organizational council.[10]
Ideology
Bulgarian political scientist Antoaneta Hristova stated that the coalition demonstrates a centre-left and social democratic political profile.[1] As president, Radev has supported a referendum on Bulgaria's 2026 adoption of the euro and opposed sanctions against the Russian Federation.[11] He, as well as the coalition itself, have been described as pro-Russian, although this description is disputed.[12][13][14] The party's ideology has been described as putting Bulgarian national interests first while not questioning its EU and NATO integration.[14] Publicist Yavor Siderov described Radev as a populist.[15] In his Facebook post, Radev explained that his coalition is "a response to Bulgarians' expectations for the dismantling of the oligarchic corruption model".[4]
Composition
Member parties
| Party | Abbr. | Ideology | Leader | Member since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political Movement "Social Democrats" | PDS | Social democracy | Elena Noneva | 2 March 2026 | |
| Social Democratic Party | SDP | Social democracy | Todor Barbolov | 2 March 2026 | |
| Our People Movement | DNN | Atanas Kalchev | 2 March 2026 | ||
Supporting parties
| Party | Abbr. | Ideology | Leader | Supporting since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VMRO – Bulgarian National Movement[8][9] | VMRO-BND | National conservatism | Krasimir Karakachanov | 11 March 2026 | |
See also
- Alternative for Bulgarian Revival
- 2025–2026 Bulgarian protests, for events that preceeded the formation of the party
References
- ^ a b Христова, Антоанета (2 March 2026). "Проф. Христова за "Прогресивна България": Името на формацията насочва към център-ляво и към социалдемокрация". Focus News (in Bulgarian). Interviewed by Събчева, Цоня.
Името на формацията насочва към център-ляво и към социалдемокрация. Така че нещата от гледна точка на идеология като че ли са доста ясно демонстрирани и очертани. Социалдемокрацията, на практика тази ниша, реално не е запълнена до този момент добре.
[The name of the formation points to the center-left and to social democracy. So, from an ideological point of view, things seem to be quite clearly demonstrated and outlined. Social democracy, in practice, this niche has not really been filled well before.] - ^
- Atanasova, Maria (3 March 2026). "Antoaneta Hristova: Rumen Radev's "Progressive Bulgaria" takes over the left niche". Fakti.bg.
According to experts, Rumen Radev's actions give a categorical signal about the political orientation of the new project, which is aimed directly at the voters of the centenary. "This is a firm message, there is no doubt what it can be. This is a center-left political party. This is the niche that the BSP has gradually vacated," Antoaneta Hristova is categorical.
- Христова, Антоанета (2 March 2026). "Проф. Христова за "Прогресивна България": Името на формацията насочва към център-ляво и към социалдемокрация". Focus News (in Bulgarian). Interviewed by Събчева, Цоня.
Името на формацията насочва към център-ляво и към социалдемокрация. Така че нещата от гледна точка на идеология като че ли са доста ясно демонстрирани и очертани. Социалдемокрацията, на практика тази ниша, реално не е запълнена до този момент добре.
[The name of the formation points to the center-left and to social democracy. So, from an ideological point of view, things seem to be quite clearly demonstrated and outlined. Social democracy, in practice, this niche has not really been filled well before.] - "Ex-Bulgarian President Radev tipped to win general election with new coalition". Politico Europe. 2 March 2026.
Progressive Bulgaria brings together three center-left formations — the Political Movement Social Democrats, the Social Democratic Party and the Our People Movement.
- Atanasova, Maria (3 March 2026). "Antoaneta Hristova: Rumen Radev's "Progressive Bulgaria" takes over the left niche". Fakti.bg.
- ^ "Разкриха логото на проекта на Радев "Прогресивна България" (СНИМКА)". darik.bg (in Bulgarian).
- ^ a b c "Румен Радев ще се яви на изборите с "Прогресивна България"". dw.com (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2026-03-02.
- ^ OFFNews. "Формацията на Радев е Прогресивна България. Регистрира се с 3 партии — OFFNews". offnews.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2026-03-02.
- ^ "Регистрираха коалицията на Румен Радев „Прогресивна България" в ЦИК". dariknews.bg (in Bulgarian). 2026-03-02. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
- ^ "Румен Радев се регистрира за изборите с коалиция „Прогресивна България"". bTV Новините (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2026-03-02.
- ^ a b "ВМРО влизат в листите на партията на Румен Радев". News.bg. 11 March 2026.
- ^ a b "ВМРО ще има свои хора в листите на Румен Радев". Actualno. 11 March 2026.
- ^ "На изборите на 19 април ВМРО подкрепя проекта на президента Радев". VMRO. 28 February 2026.
- ^ Benakis, Theodoros (3 March 2026). "Bulgaria's former President Radev will run 19 April elections with his own coalition". European Interest.
- ^ Европа, Свободна (2 March 2026). "Радев отива на избори с "Прогресивна България", коалиция от бивши партньори на БСП, СДС и ПП". Svobodna Evropa (in Bulgarian).
Бившият президент се обявява срещу корупцията, Бойко Борисов и Делян Пеевски, но също така е споделял проруски позиции.
[The former president speaks out against corruption, Boyko Borisov and Delyan Peevski , but has also shared pro-Russian positions.] - ^ "Политолог: Възможна е поредица от избори, за да укрепне проектът на Радев". Mediapool (in Bulgarian). 4 March 2026.
Ако иска нещо друго, което стои зад фасадата на това, което заявява в момента, то може да се коалира с всички останали проруски партии в българския парламент. Знаем кои са. Зависи и в какви конфигурации ще попаднат.
[If it wants something else that is behind the facade of what it is currently stating, it can form a coalition with all the other pro-Russian parties in the Bulgarian parliament. We know who they are. It also depends on what configurations they will fall into.] - ^ a b "Няма нито едно изказване на Радев, с което да се докаже, че той е проруски, пропутински". Club-Z (in Bulgarian). 24 January 2026.
Няма нито едно изказване на Радев, с което да се докаже, че той е проруски, пропутински. Той иска обоснована външна политика, която да стъпва на националния интерес. Румен Радев ясно каза, че тази война не може да се реши на бойното поле и ще се реши през преговори. Никога Радев не е поставял под съмнение европейската интеграция на България, НАТО. Той държи на това, че е български, а не натовски генерал, слага националните интереси са на преден план.
[Radev hasn't made a single statement that proves that he is pro-Russian, pro-Putin. He wants a grounded foreign policy based on national interests. Rumen Radev clearly said that this war cannot be won on the battlefield and must be solved through negotiations. Radev has never questioned Bulgaria's European integration or NATO. He insists on being a Bulgarian, not a NATO general, and puts national interests at the forefront.] - ^ Zhelev, Veselin (23 March 2026). "Радев е "боязлив популист", няма да рискува сблъсък с ЕС а ла Орбан". Club-Z (in Bulgarian).