In the interview, Dr. Rumena Filipova cautions against framing Rumen Radev as “the new Viktor Orbán”, noting that Bulgaria’s institutional setup and slower trajectory of Europeanisation make direct comparisons misleading. Rather than a clear ideological shift, she points to continuity: Bulgarian foreign policy is likely to keep balancing between pro-EU and pro-Russian positions, with more assertive rhetoric but limited structural change.
The interview also highlights a more concerning trend: growing support among younger voters for strong leadership models. Drawing on research by the Institute for Global Analytics, she notes that over half of Bulgarians aged 18–24 express a preference for more centralised authority, reflecting broader dissatisfaction with democratic institutions and prolonged political instability.
On domestic governance, Filipova outlines the persistence of an oligarchic-clientelist system shaping media, the judiciary, and public institutions. While Boyko Borisov and Delyan Peevski are often associated with this model, she stresses that the picture is more complex, as electoral turnover remains possible, and sectors of civil society and the economy continue to operate relatively independently of state capture.