Sofia, 28 October 2026 – The Central Election Commission (CEC) cleared Prime Minister Rumen Radev of violating the Election Code after he urged voters to support presidential candidate Iliana Iotova in the first round of the runoff election, the commission said on Thursday. The decision was reached by an 8‑to‑7 vote, with the opposition side of the commission voting against the ruling. The CEC rejected the complaint over the PM’s remarks, citing that the statement was made outside a state or municipal agency and before the official campaign period began, and that the dissemination through the Council of Ministers’ information service did not constitute campaign material.
The motion that prompted the review was lodged by the Democratic Bulgaria coalition, which includes the Yes, Bulgaria party, after the Gurov‑Kandev nomination committee flagged Radev’s remarks as potential electioneering. In the minutes of the CEC meeting, the commission acknowledged the presence of more than 105 complaints concerning the use of the government’s official website and press service to publicise the PM’s appeal to voters for Iotova in the second round. The CEC’s brief statement said it had no administrative violation to find, but it also forwarded the tally of complaints to the National Audit Office for a supplementary investigation.
Background
The Yes, Bulgaria party and other members of the Democratic Bulgaria parliamentary group lodged a formal protest on the same day, explaining that the commission’s majority, composed of Progressive Bulgaria and Vazrazhdane representatives, had shifted its stance during the meeting and ultimately refused to decide on the merits of the objections. “The majority in the CEC, formed by the votes of representatives from Progressive Bulgaria and Vazrazhdane, did everything possible to avoid answering the question of whether it is permissible for the official website and press service of the Council of Ministers to disseminate Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s call to support a specific presidential candidate,” the party’s statement read.
Acknowledging that official channels were employed, the statement added, “We are not talking about a party page or a personal profile; we are talking about the official communication channels of the Council of Ministers, maintained with public funds.”
In a statement released immediately, Yes, Bulgaria said the CEC had become an institutional shield that protects those in power from scrutiny, insisting the commission “must not become an institutional shield that protects those in power from scrutiny. The commission’s independence is not a privilege that allows it to avoid making difficult decisions. It is an obligation to apply the law equally to everyone.”
“This is particularly alarming, because we are not talking about a party page, a personal profile, or a campaign platform. We are talking about the official communication channels of the Council of Ministers, maintained with public funds,” the party warned.
Bozhidar Bozhanov, co‑chair of Yes, Bulgaria, called for the resignation of the CEC members affiliated with Progressive Bulgaria and Vazrazhdane, arguing that they had “refused yesterday to establish a violation in response to 105 reports concerning Rumen Radev’s call, published through the Council of Ministers’ communication channels, in support of Iliana Iotova.” He added that the CEC “should not do exactly what Radev and Iotova tell it to do” and stressed the need for an independent electoral oversight body.
“The CEC, and more specifically the members representing Progressive Bulgaria and Vazrazhdane, between whom there is a new assemblage, owe the public their resignations. The CEC is not simply a directorate of the Council of Ministers; it is not an extension of the executive branch and must not do exactly what Radev and Iotova tell it to do.”
The campaign to overturn the CEC decision is now heading to the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC). The Gurov‑Kandev nomination committee for the Andrey Gurov-Georgi Kandev presidential ticket appealed to the SAC on Tuesday, alleging that the CEC failed to examine the disbursement of the PM’s message through official state channels and that it “must be removed from the government’s website before the upcoming election silence period.” The committee’s complaint was lodged within 24 hours of the CEC’s ruling, amid broad concern that the official communications disseminated by the Council of Ministers may have served as campaign material for Iotova in the second round on 1 November.
Alina Dobreva and Vyara Todeva, part of the CEC, expressed objections to the decision, saying the transmission of the PM’s remarks through the Council of Ministers’ offices could be considered an illegal act of election campaigning. They have flagged the matter for review by the SAC, but the court has yet to issue an order.
The dispute underscores ongoing tensions in Bulgaria’s political landscape, raising questions about the role of official government platforms in electioneering and the independence of the CEC. Observers note that the 8‑to‑7 margin on the CEC’s ruling reflects a sharp division between parties aligned with the incumbent government and those in the opposition. The outcome of the SAC review will determine whether the commission’s decision stands or whether extra steps will be taken to assess the alleged misuse of state resources in the campaign.
While the case is being litigated, President Rumen Radev and the Council of Ministers have declined to comment further, and no immediate changes have been made to the government’s website. The final decision from the Supreme Administrative Court is expected in the coming days, just ahead of the second round of presidential voting, which could potentially see voting patterns influenced by the controversy surrounding the use of official state media in the campaigning period.
