Bulgarian Election: Radev Wins Amid Disputed Majority and Unverified Defense Deal

**TL;DR** Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party won the recent Bulgarian general election, marking the eighth such poll in five years. However, claims of the party securing a parliamentary majority are mostly false, and an alleged €1 billion defense joint venture with Rheinmetall remains unverifiable with available information.

### Claim 1: Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party won the Bulgarian general election held on Sunday, which was the eighth general election in Bulgaria over the past five years.

Bulgaria recently concluded its eighth general election in five years, with Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party emerging victorious on Sunday. Multiple independent news sources, including Yahoo and CNN, confirmed this outcome. The election follows a period of political instability marked by frequent polls.

Verdict: True

**Analysis:** Consistent reporting across various wire services and online news outlets affirms that Progressive Bulgaria secured victory in the latest general election. These sources also uniformly describe it as the eighth general election in Bulgaria over the past five years, indicating a high level of confidence in the accuracy of this claim.

### Claim 2: After counting 87% of the votes, Progressive Bulgaria secured at least 135 seats in the 240-seat Bulgarian parliament, giving it a majority.

One news outlet reported that with 87% of the votes counted, Progressive Bulgaria secured at least 135 seats in the 240-seat Bulgarian parliament, suggesting a majority. However, other prominent news agencies provided contrasting figures. Reuters reported that Progressive Bulgaria led with 44.7% of votes after 91.68% were counted, while CNN reported 44.6% after 60% of votes. Bulgaria uses a system of proportional representation where seat allocation generally mirrors vote share.

Verdict: Mostly False

**Analysis:** A 44.7% vote share in a 240-seat parliament translates to approximately 107 seats, not 135 seats. This figure falls short of the 121 seats required for an outright majority. The reported vote percentages from multiple reliable sources contradict the claim of a 135-seat majority. The initial report likely miscalculated seat projections based on vote percentages.

### Claim 3: In October 2025, Rheinmetall announced a joint venture with Bulgaria's VMZ factory worth €1 billion to produce up to 100,000 155mm artillery shells per year.

An announcement regarding a €1 billion joint venture between the German arms company Rheinmetall and Bulgaria's VMZ factory, set for October 2025, to produce 100,000 155mm artillery shells annually, has circulated. However, none of the available web evidence from sources such as Yahoo, Reuters, Greek Reporter, CNN, or MSN referenced this specific joint venture, its stated value, or the production capacity figures.

Verdict: Unverifiable

**Analysis:** With no corroborating or contradicting evidence found across multiple reputable news sources, the claim regarding the Rheinmetall-VMZ joint venture cannot be verified. Details about such a significant defense industry deal would typically appear in corporate announcements or major financial and defense news reports; their absence prevents confirmation.

Observers now watch how Progressive Bulgaria navigates coalition building and shapes Bulgaria's role in European defense and industrial development.