Rumen Radev, the Unpolitical Presidential Candidate of Bulgaria's Socialists

File photo, BGNES

Novinite publishes profiles of presidential candidates running in the forthcoming elections on November 06.

After Parliament Speaker Tsetska Tsacheva, who was recently announced as the candidate of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's GERB party, it is time to introduce Maj Gen Rumen Radev, a nominee endorsed by the second-largest party in Parliament, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).

A Bulgarian Air Force Commander who received post-graduate training in the US, was among the staunchest supporters of buying new military aircraft and had never spoken out on any issues other than the Air Force itself.

The description above doesn't sound like the best resume of the Bulgarian Socialist Party's presidential candidate

Known for its close ties to Russian circles and advocating an end to Western sanctions, the BSP nevertheless endorsed him - but did not submit his name as its own candidate, leaving it up to an "initiative committee" - in a race that, after his entry, has seen a number of generals being added to the vote by other parties.

Russian media - but also Bulgarian ones criticizing Russia - describe him as someone who would defy the status quo of Bulgaria, questioning its stances within NATO and the EU and pursuing a more independent policy, ideas cherrypicked by journalists as a sign he wants to tilt the country toward Russia.

But his game may be much more complicated.

Radev, 53, took over as Commander of the Bulgarian Air Force in 2014. Prior to that, he had served twenty-seven years within the air force ranks. Having started as a junior pilot in 1987, he headed Graf Ignatievo Air Base in 2002 - an office he retained until 2005, with a one-year hiatus as he went to specialize in Air War College in Maxwell,...

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