On the eve of Bulgaria’s April 19th parliamentary election, I sat down with Filip Karaivanov — born in Sofia, now based in Edinburgh — for a deep-dive conversation on why this vote matters far beyond Bulgaria’s borders.
We unpack the country’s long struggle with post-Soviet corruption, explain how its parliamentary system actually works (and why the president’s power to appoint caretaker governments has become a major political flashpoint), and explore whether the rising Progressive Bulgaria party can finally break a years-long coalition stalemate.
The global stakes are real: like Georgia in 2024, this election is being framed as a referendum on whether Bulgaria leans West or tilts toward Moscow. Filip pushes back on that framing — and offers a more nuanced read of what change in Bulgaria could actually look like.
Key themes: Eastern European geopolitics · EU vs. Russia · anti-corruption politics · parliamentary coalitions · Balkan history
