Rumen Radev: Bulgaria's Ex Air Force Chief Who Promises to Be President

Maj Gen Rumen Radev runs as an independent, but is the de facto endorsement by the second-largest party in Parliament, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).

He is seen as the main challenger to Tsetska Tsacheva, the candidate put forward by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his main ruling party GERB. Nearly all opinion polls see him as Tsacheva's rival in the runoff next week, some even projecting a narrow victory for him. Asked to make a pre-election promise in a late-night entertainment show this week, he promised to become President. 

A Bulgarian Air Force Commander who received post-graduate training in the US, Radev was among the staunchest supporters of buying new military aircraft (with all offers coming from Western companies) 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 for 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.

His name was among the first to be made public by the bigger parties of Bulgaria. Even before the official...