France, April 20 -- Radev, 62, who resigned earlier this year after nine years as president, ran in Sunday's vote on a pledge to fight corruption, bringing together a wide spectrum of voters, with the turnout the highest since 2021.

His Progressive Bulgaria grouping secured 44.7 percent, after 91.7 percent of the ballots were counted, putting him on course to gain some 130 seats in the 240-seat parliament.

The party's sweeping victory suggests it could rule alone, but he has not ruled out a coalition with a pro-European group or a smaller party.

It marks the first outright parliamentary majority for a single formation in Bulgaria since 1997 when a centre-right, pro-European grouping won.

Progressive Bulgaria's tally put it far ah...