President Radev Makes “Last Address to Nation as President”, to Step Down Tuesday 2026

Balgarianovinite.com In a televised address to the nation Monday, Rumen Radev said this is his “last address as President” of Bulgaria. He said he will be submitting his resignation as head of State on Tuesday and expressed conviction that Vice President Iliana Iotova will make a worthy head of State President.
Under Article 97 of the Constitution, the president of the Republic may tender his resignation to the Constitutional Court prior to the expiry of his term of office. In such case, the vice president must assume the office of president for the remainder of the term of office. Within a period at its discretion, the Constitutional Court must decide whether the president has resigned of their own accord. If this is the case, the president’s credentials will be terminated, and the vice president will step in.
Beyond the resignation announcement, Radev framed his decision as a response to what he called a “vicious model of governance” that “has the outward features of democracy, but in practice functions through the mechanisms of oligarchy”. He argued that “Bulgarian politics is conducted outside the institutions” and claimed that “the puppet-masters do not hesitate, on camera, to issue orders to the National Assembly”, “capture parties, banks, businesses, and the media”, and “wield power like a cudgel against their political opponents”.
Radev said Bulgaria has completed its European integration and is now “members of Schengen and the euro area”, but asked why these achievements had not brought “stability or a sense of fulfillment”, pointing to what he described as deep public disillusionment: “Why did Bulgarians stop voting? Why do they distrust the media and have no confidence in the judiciary?” He said that “two-thirds no longer vote” and argued that “a new social contract is needed”.
He also accused the political class of eroding democratic standards. Referring to the “patchwork” coalition cabinet, he said it “ultimately erased the line between corrupt actors and anti-corruption fighters, between legality and lawlessness”. He described constitutional changes as “the hijacking of the Constitution” and said that, “in its new form, the Basic Law enshrined permanent oligarchic control over the executive branch”, adding that “the caretaker government is no longer a dependable guarantor of free and fair elections”.
Radev cited as a turning point what he called the National Assembly’s refusal to hold a referendum “on the date for introducing the single European currency”, saying: “The people’s representatives denied the people their right to choose.” He also referred to a protest wave that “brought down the government” late last year and said it had produced “broad public consensus against the mafia” that “must be translated into concrete action in the upcoming parliamentary elections”.
The President said: “We face a struggle for the future of our homeland, and I believe we will wage it together, with all of you: the worthy, the inspired, and the unyielding. We are ready. We can do it. And we will succeed!”
He did not expressly mention the establishment of a party of his own.
There has been a lot of speculation recently about Rumen Radev intending to leave the President’s Office to go into politics. President Radev Makes “Last Address to Nation as President”, to Step Down Tuesday 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-01-19 18:59:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law