43873 | 8 Jan. 2026 | 13:08

The party emerges as the most successful nationalist project in Bulgaria in recent years, taking advantage of the mistakes of the neoliberal status quo at a crucial historical moment

 On January 14, the National Assembly will resume its work, and the extraordinary parliamentary elections will most likely be held at the end of March. Before the start of the hot political season, we offer you an overview of the activities of the parties in 2025 and a forecast for 2026, prepared by the Institute for Strategies and Analyses (ISA). The conclusions of ISA were made throughout the past year. We remind them with a focus on expected developments in the new political cycle. We continue our publications with "Revival," the party that opposes the Euro and is expected to set the tone for the election campaign in this direction.

 "Revival" maintains a strong political pace throughout 2025, and in 2026 it entered with an acceleration, which gives it the "wind of change". The end of the unipolar world and the outlining of a new international architecture is reminiscent of the end of the 80s and the beginning of the 90s, when the Cold War ended, the Berlin Wall fell, and the citizens of Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, turned to democracy of the Western type, a state based on the rule of law, and a market economy. How far each country from the former Soviet bloc has progressed in this way is a separate question, but today the world, Europe, and Bulgaria are in a process of transformation.

 For parties like "Revival", who have challenged the status quo of the old order, the acoustics are opening up.

 Bulgaria has another peculiarity - we have become the 21st country in the eurozone. For a political force that has shown growth in support and due to its anti-Euro stance, it seems like a golden time has come. The condition is for the adoption of the Euro to show its negative consequences and for it to coincide with the time of the early elections.

 Kostadin Kostadinov, the leader of "Revival", raised the bar in the first days of the new year: "Elections are coming in March, in less than 3 months. In these elections, "Rebirth" will become the leading political force, will restore the Bulgarian lev, will remove the country from the bitcoint zone and will bring down both the ECB and the EC. Just one thing is enough - to vote for "Revival". "We will do the rest".

 Unofficially, the campaign of "Revival" has begun.

 What can we expect based on the theses, program, behavior and actions of the party, which ISA analyzed during the 12 months of 2025?

 The strong political pace of "Revival" was marked by peaks of radicalization. Such were the protests against the Euro in front of the House of Europe, when effigies of European politicians were burned. Or the statements of its leader Konstantin Konstantinov, that Bulgaria needs not change, but revolution.

 With its actions, the party absorbed the most radical sentiments in Bulgarian society, demonstrating that it provides them with parliamentary representation.

 In January, "Revival" jumped on the wave of Donald Trump, as Konstantinov spoke about Macedonia as a second Bulgarian state in response to the American president's statements about Greenland and stated that there is nothing more logical than the two countries uniting. ISA immediately points out, however, that such rhetoric is risky and could easily lead to an explosion in the Balkans.

 Regarding the protest in front of the House of Europe, which was marked by vandalism, Konstantinov wrote on social media: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants - Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, 1787."

 
 "We are ready. And we are coming for the tyrants." According to ISA, these radical actions (which took place in front of the House of Europe), as well as the extreme rhetoric of Kostadinov, solidify the party's electorate, but hinder its growth.

 "Revival" is exploiting the topic of holding a referendum for the euro consistently and persistently, despite the fact that such a question is in conflict with the Constitution. The topic has also been raised by the president and will continue to be used in the first months of 2026, which will be election-filled. "Revival" faces serious competition in the nationalist field from parties like "MUH" and "Greatness".

  In May, ISA concluded: "Revival" has caught the wave of radical populism and is surfing on it relatively successfully. For the only party that presents itself as pro-Russian, the euro is a great opportunity to provoke an escalation of tension. As of today, seven months later, we predict that this will be the line that "Revival" will continue to follow, as it expects to receive large dividends. And those will be materialized in the early parliamentary elections.

 Radev's entry into the anti-euro field made him a competitor. However, as long as there is no presidential party, Kostadinov's formation will gain votes. Moreover, more than any other political force operating in this niche, “Revival“ has long established its anti-Euro position as its top priority.

 According to the ISA, “Revival“ - and this was the conclusion even several months ago - has become the most successful nationalist project in Bulgaria over the last years, taking advantage of the mistakes of the neoliberal status quo in a key historical moment.

 The party's ideology requires a radical change in direction, but it is not clear how this will happen, nor what solutions and policies the party proposes for the post-change period. This provokes fear, distancing and is the reason for the so-called "glass ceiling" in its support.

 Compared to other major parties, we must note the important advantage of Kostadinov's party - it has not been in an official coalition with GERB or MRF, which sharply sets it apart from CC-DB. But their electoral segments are very different.

 The thesis of "Revival" for the need to renew the state is directed not only against the current model of governance, but against the entire transition with the obvious domination of the neoliberal ideology. A new state is not something else, but a denial of liberal democracy as we know it from the last three decades with all its successes, mistakes and setbacks. The process is global and "Revival" is its bearer in Bulgaria. "In reality, its opponent on this line is "Continuing the change", as this is very visible in the European Parliament, where the representatives of CC are part of the liberals from "Renew Europe", while those of "Revival" – in "Europe of sovereign nations", the small Eurosceptic group, whose main representatives are from "Alternative for Germany".

 With the start of the autumn political season in 2025, "Revival" radicalizes itself." This was the moment when Kostadinov announced that the country needed a revolution, not a vote of no confidence.

 "The conclusion of ISA was that the party reaffirms its profile as a populist, Eurosceptic and pro-Russian formation, which is getting stronger for its participation in the presidential elections, trying to bring closer the holding of early parliamentary elections, as it is an opposition to everything." (In reality, this happened in December with the resignation of "Zhelazkov" and the ISA's prediction was confirmed).

 In October, we noted that the development of the (geo)political situation motivated "Revival" to clean up and reaffirm its profile as a patriotic, conservative and Eurosceptic party with active structures, youth organization, international contacts, with presence in the national and European Parliament. Her clear focus and deployment of her activity in the National Assembly and the European Parliament sets her apart from the political forces competing with her in the field of anti-systemism. "Revival" leads in this segment, but parties such as MUH and "Greatness" hinder its growth.

 ISA's main conclusion and forecast is that Kostadinov has developed a strong opposition rhetoric, consistently demanding new parliamentary elections and actively supporting the protests.

 Growth for "Reawakening" can be expected, as the timing of the elections coincides with the first effects of the eurozone. However, a higher voter turnout, if achieved, may prevent its smaller competitors from surpassing the 4 percent barrier.

 The resignation of the government has directed the spotlight to the parliamentary race, but the presidential election in the autumn of 2026 must also remain in focus. And for "Revival", they are particularly important because of the nature of the vote. As we know, the vote is majoritarian and in two rounds, and it appears very likely that "Revival's" candidate will participate in the runoff.

  While the pro-European and Euro-Atlantic vote will be divided in the first round, the candidate of "Revival" is expected to concentrate on its opposite - conservative, pro-Russian, nationalist, anti-EU, etc. Such development can be disputed, however, if Radev or his party nominates a candidate with the same profile. The knot seems to be complex.

 The relations between "Revival" and "Alternative for Germany" have become very tight. In November, the two political forces signed a memorandum stating, "the EU agenda is a suicidal program, which we will stop through our joint work in Brussels and in our capitals." Both parties support the re-migration of persons with no right of residence and criminals. They share the thesis that "the euro is a financial sword of Damocles hanging over Germany. For Bulgaria, it is a threat to its sovereignty and the purchasing power of its citizens."

 AG and "Revival" have united around issues concerning Russia. The document states, "EU sanctions increase energy prices. Deliveries of weapons to the military zone threaten peace in all of Europe." We support any attempt at mediation in the name of an immediate ceasefire.

  "By the beginning of 2026, in the thesis of "Revival", there is already a new moment - the warning that after the destruction of the national currency and national sovereignty, the destruction of the Bulgarian state is imminent - a goal that, according to Kostadinov, the CC-DB coalition has set for itself.

  „In the position of one of the janissary groups („Yes, Bulgaria“), it is stated that Bulgaria should enter a European system with a common army and intelligence services, and there is already open talk about turning the EU into a federal state, where Bulgaria will be governed by Brussels as a province“, Kostadinov emphasizes in his publication on the social network.

 The conclusion of ISA is that the development of geopolitical processes, accelerated by Trump's operation in Venezuela, is intensifying and sharpening the confrontation along the pro-European and anti-European line. This is a new strong nuance that will be present clearly in the pre-election campaign.