Radev's Coalition Leads Bulgaria's Election

0:00It's April 19th. This is Global News Today, your AI-powered source for world news. Exit polls from Bulgaria's latest parliamentary vote show ex-president Roman Radev's center left coalition taking a big lead with 39 point, 2 percent of the vote, that's way ahead of the center-right-gurb party at 15.1 percent. This is the eighth election in just five years for the Balkan nation, and even with the strong showing, Radev's group might not hit a majority too. In solo, the snap election came after a conservative government quit, amid massive street protests last December. Turnout hit 43.4 percent, with six parties likely crossing the 4 percent threshold for seats in a split parliament. Radev stepped down from his mostly ceremonial presidency in January to chase the prime minister's spot. Protesters, mostly young folks, demanded an end to deep-rooted corruption and a real independent judiciary. Radev, a 62-year-old ex-fighter pilot, rode that wave by slamming the oligarchs in

1:01mafia ties in politics. His backers want cleaner governance, though some dig his skeptical take on the European Union and warmer bives toward Russia. Radev slammed Moscow's Ukraine invasion, but opposes Armin Kiev and wants talks reopened with Putin. Analysts say his flexible platform opens doors to team up with various parties, except maybe the hard-right pro-Russian ones. Bulgaria just joined the Eurozone on January 1st and the Schengenzone. Radev called this a historic shot to ditch the old corrupt system and beg voters to flood the polls against foe buying. He vowed to fight off another election disaster and pull the country out of endless crisis mode.