Three months after resigning as president, Rumen Radev returned to Bulgarian politics with a striking victory. His newly formed party, Progressive Bulgaria, won an outright majority in parliament on April 19, taking roughly 44 to 45 percent of the vote and securing 131 of 240 seats. This was the first single-party majority Bulgaria has achieved since 1997. The former air force commander's party finished about 30 percentage points ahead of its nearest rival, Boyko Borissov's centre-right GERB-SDS coalition. It was Bulgaria's eighth parliamentary election in five years, though turnout rose sharply to about 51 percent as voters sought stability. However, Radev's victory has alarmed European Union officials. During his presidency, he repeatedly opposed sending military aid to Ukraine and argued for better relations with Russia. The Kremlin quickly welcomed his win, while EU diplomats expressed concern about Bulgaria's future direction. The timing troubles Brussels especially, as this comes just one week after Viktor Orbán lost power in Hungary, where he had been the EU's main obstacle to Russian sanctions. Analysts suggest Radev may adopt similar rhetoric but behave differently in EU forums. His party now controls Bulgaria's parliament, and the nation waits to see what his government will do next.