Bulgarian nationalist party Vazrazhdane signs cooperation deal with United Russia

Bulgaria’s nationalist and right-wing Vazrazhdane (Revival) party signed a cooperation agreement with United Russia, the ruling party of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Moscow.

In a press release from the Vazrazhdane party, it was stated that the agreement was signed during the visit of the party delegation, which went to Moscow at the invitation of the ruling party in Russia.

The party statement said, “The agreement foresees the exchange of experience, ideas, and political practices between the two parties and is an important positive step towards the re-establishment of full-fledged Bulgarian-Russian relations.”

The agreement was signed by Vazrazhdane Deputy Chairman Tsoncho Ganev, who is also Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, and Vladimir Yakushev, Secretary of the General Council of the United Russia Party.

It is noteworthy that the Vazrazhdane party continues relations with Moscow despite Russia declaring Bulgaria a “hostile country” after the start of the war in Ukraine.

Vazrazhdane received slightly over 13% of the votes in the last parliamentary elections in October 2024, becoming the third political force with 33 deputies in the 240-seat Bulgarian parliament.

The party receives support from circles in Bulgarian society sympathetic to Russia and competes in this area with the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and some other smaller parties.

Supported by right-wing circles, the party opposes Bulgaria’s entry into the Eurozone, demands neutrality regarding Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, and advocates for Bulgaria’s withdrawal from NATO.

On the other hand, Vazrazhdane attempted to hold a referendum on Bulgaria adopting the euro but was unsuccessful.

Vazrazhdane managed to enter the Bulgarian parliament during the Covid-19 pandemic with its strong stance against vaccines and restrictions.

In the European Parliament, the party is part of the Europe of Sovereign Nations group, led by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

The delegation that visited Moscow participated in the forum “The Importance of Victory Over Nazism. Lessons Learned from the Founding of the UN.”

Party representatives had also visited Russia a year ago.