Bulgaria's Kremlin-friendly ex-president set for landslide election win

Pro-Russian former President Rumen Radev is set for a runaway victory in Bulgaria's election, official results showed, potentially ending years of weak coalition governments and sidelining long-dominant political forces.



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



Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party had 44.6% of the vote after 60% of ballots were counted, suggesting it could rule alone in a strong minority government, 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 14.2%, and the long-dominant GERB party, led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, at 13%.



"This is a victory of hope over distrust, a victory of freedom over fear, and finally, if you will, a victory of morality," Radev told a press conference late on Sunday, a day before final election results are expected.