Rumen Radev, former Bulgarian president and leader of Progressive Bulgaria coalition, speaks to the media after the first exit polls at the parliamentary election in Sofia, Bulgaria, April 19. Reuters-Yonhap

SOFIA — Pro-Russian former President Rumen Radev has won Bulgaria's parliamentary election by a landslide, official results showed on Monday, crushing long-dominant political forces and possibly pushing the EU and NATO member state closer to Moscow.

The performance, exceeding opinion poll forecasts, is one of the strongest results for a single party in a generation and may end, for now, the chronic instability that led to eight elections in five years.

Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party had 44.7 percent of the vote after 97.52 percent of ballots were counted, suggesting it could rule alone, but he has not ruled out a coalition with a pro-European group or a smaller party.

Progressive Bulgaria's tally put it far ahead of the pro-European We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) coalition with 12.8 percent, and the long-dominant GERB party, led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, at 13.4 percent.

A eurosceptic and former fighter pilot opposed to military support for Ukraine's war effort against Moscow, Radev stepped down from Bulgaria's largely ceremonial presidency in January to run in the parliamentary election after mass protests forced out the previous government in December.

He rode a wave of frustration with political instability in the Balkan nation of 6.5 million, where voters are sick of corruption and veteran parties that have dominated politics for decades.

"There is now an opportunity for the things people have been hoping to see change to actually become visible," Evelina Koleva, a manager at a digital marketing company in Sofia, the capital, told Reuters.

Both the European Union and Russia welcomed Radev's victory.

In a post on X, Antonio Costa, the head of the European Council, which groups the EU's national governments, wrote: "Congratulations to Rumen Radev on your outright victory... I look forward to working together with you in the #EUCO on our shared agenda for a prosperous, autonomous and secure Europe."

Source: Korea Times News