Bulgaria's president has announced that he was resigning before snap elections in the coming months, deepening political turmoil that has gripped the EU and NATO member.
The Balkan country, which introduced the euro on January 1, was plunged into fresh political turmoil after a series of widespread anti-corruption protests swept a conservative-led government from office in mid-December.
Rumen Radev, a vocal government critic who supported the protests, announced last week that a snap vote — the country's eighth election in five years — would be held after parties failed to form a new government.
"Today, I am addressing you for the last time as president of Bulgaria," Radev said during a televised speech, adding that he would resign from his post on Tuesday.
Radev, 62, said he was keen to take on the "battle for the future" of Bulgaria "alongside all of you — the dignified, the inspired and the unyielding".
He said the "pernicious model of governance" was to blame for the poverty, protests and mistrust in institutions in the country.
Speculation has been rife that Radev may take part in the elections, as he has said he wants to "unite all" in the fight against corruption.
His resignation marks the first time a head of state has stepped down since the end of communism.
Radev's deputy Iliana Iotova, 61, and a former journalist and lawmaker from the Socialist party, is expected to serve as interim president.
The elections are to be held in late March or April, but no date has been set yet.
It is up to the president to appoint an interim prime minister from a list of senior state officials and set a date for the vote.
Radev's term had been due to end early next year, with presidential elections due before then.
Former fighter pilot
A former pilot and commander of the Bulgarian air force, Radev, who was supported by the pro-Russian opposition Socialists, was elected president for the first time in 2016.
During mass anti-graft protests in 2020, he voiced strong support for the demonstrators.
In 2021, Radev secured a second five-year term, winning almost 67 percent of the vote in the second round.
Often at odds with the government, he has voiced opposition against sending military aid to Ukraine.
In an interview with CNN last year, he expressed disappointment over the lack of support among EU allies for US President Donald Trump's self-described "peace efforts".
Since anti-graft protests in 2020 against the government of three-time prime minister Boyko Borissov of GERB, a spiral of elections has returned fragmented parliaments.
The conservative GERB party topped the most recent election last year, forming a coalition government, but protests broke out in late November over its 2026 draft budget.
The conservative GERB party topped the most recent election last year, forming a coalition government, but protests broke out in late November over its 2026 draft budget.
Protesters branded it as an attempt to mask rampant corruption.
Radev has decided to resign and potentially run in the upcoming general election, because "there is momentum linked to the protests", said Parvan Simeonov from the Myara polling agency.
A recent poll by the Market Links institute credited Radev with an approval rating of 44 per cent.
"His goal is to be close to the majority so that he doesn't have to negotiate" too much, Simeonov said, adding that a strong election result for Radev could be "a way out of the crisis".
Bulgaria is among the lowest-ranking EU nations on watchdog Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index.
