Bulgaria’s Radev wins majority in parliamentary vote

April 20, 2026

Summary

Near-complete results showed former President Rumen Radev won a parliamentary majority in Bulgaria after years of repeated elections.

Why this matters

The result could end Bulgaria's prolonged political deadlock after eight elections since 2021. It also matters for the country's direction within the European Union and its approach to Russia and Ukraine.

Former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev won an outright majority in Sunday’s parliamentary election, near-complete results showed Monday, in a result that could end years of political instability.

With 91.7% of votes counted, Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria secured 44.7%, putting it on course for about 130 seats in the 240-seat parliament, according to official results.

Bulgaria, the European Union’s poorest member, has held eight elections since 2021, when anti-corruption protests brought down the conservative government of longtime leader Boyko Borissov.

Radev, 62, resigned earlier this year after nine years as president and campaigned on fighting corruption. Turnout was the highest since 2021 after participation fell to 39% in the 2024 election.

Borissov’s GERB party won 13.4%, narrowly ahead of the liberal We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition, or PP-DB, at 13.2%, according to the electoral commission. The far-right Vazrazhdane party and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, which represents mainly Turkish and Roma minorities, also won seats.

Radev has called for ending what he described as Bulgaria’s “oligarchic governance model” and backed anti-corruption protests last year that brought down the latest conservative-backed government.

Ahead of the vote, Radev called for “practical relations with Russia, based on mutual respect and equal treatment.” He also criticized a 10-year defense agreement signed last month between Bulgaria and Ukraine and opposed sending arms to Ukraine, though he said he would not use Bulgaria’s veto to block European Union decisions.

In recent weeks, police seized more than 1 million euros in raids targeting vote buying and detained hundreds of people, including local councilors and mayors.

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The Iranian-flagged M/V Touska was sailing through the northern Arabian Sea toward Bandar Abbas, Iran, when the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted it and warned that it was violating the blockade, according to Central Command.

“After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room,” the command said. “Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room.”

Central Command published a brief video of the encounter. U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the vessel, and the Touska remained in U.S. custody, the command said.

President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that “an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them.”

“The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom,” Trump added. “The TOUSKA is under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!”

The blockade, involving 10,000 troops, more than a dozen warships, and more than 100 fighter and surveillance aircraft, took effect April 13 after U.S.-Iran peace talks failed.

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The overflow began at 11 a.m. and stopped about 2:30 p.m., when authority crews contained it. Crews remained at the site into Saturday evening to clean up and repair the 16-inch collection main, which was expected to return to service.

The Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority notified the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services and said it was working with the agency to assess and address any effects of the overflow.

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North Carolina, South Carolina

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North Carolina

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The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation worked with Rocky Mount police, sheriff’s offices in Wilson, Nash, Edgecombe, and Halifax counties, and federal agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations.

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House Republicans have proposed an average 8.7% raise over two years, including a 22% increase in starting pay. Senate Republicans, citing concerns about long-term costs, backed a smaller plan of about 3.3% over the same period, along with one-time bonuses.

Democratic Gov. Josh Stein proposed an average raise of nearly 6%, while also restoring extra pay for teachers with master’s degrees and increasing compensation for veteran teachers and school leaders.

North Carolina ranked 43rd nationally in teacher pay, with an average salary of $58,292, nearly $14,000 below the national average and lower than every neighboring state.

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“The COLA’s impact on beneficiaries’ purchasing power will depend largely on inflation trends in 2026,” AARP wrote. “If inflation cools, the 2.8 percent benefit increase could provide retirees with a modest financial cushion.”

“But if prices continue to climb, the COLA may leave beneficiaries struggling to manage their expenses.”

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Importers and their brokers will be able to file claims through an online portal starting at 8 a.m., according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is administering the process.

The system follows a Feb. 20 Supreme Court ruling that President Donald Trump lacked constitutional authority when he imposed broad new import tax rates last April under a 1977 emergency powers law. Last month, a judge at the U.S. Court of International Trade said companies subject to those tariffs were entitled to refunds.

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US

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“Last night, Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for trafficking arms on behalf of the government of Iran,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli wrote Sunday on X.

“She is charged with a violation of 50 U.S.C. 1705 for brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan.”

According to Essayli, Mafi became a U.S. citizen in 2016. He said she worked with others on behalf of Iran and was preparing to board a flight from California to Turkey when she was arrested.