Rumen Radev, the candidate supported by the Socialist Party, ranked first in the second round of the presidential elections in Bulgaria, with over 58% of the votes.

Ţeţka Ţacheva, the candidate of the governing party, managed to earn just 35% of the votes, according to the exit poll announced by the Alpha Research institute, quoted by the news agency Novinite. The exit poll Gallup International Balkan showed similar results.

A victory of Radev would lead to a tighter relationship between Bulgaria and Russia and would start a period of political instability in Sofia. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said that he would resign if Ţaceva were defeated.

For Romania, the results in Bulgaria and Moldova mean that two of its neighbours are getting more under Russia’s influence.

editor@romania-insider.com