Bulgarian ex-president Rumen Radev – an EU critic who has called for renewing ties with Russia – on Sunday hailed a “victory of hope” after his formation topped the eighth parliamentary elections in five years.

Projections from polling agencies put his Progressive Bulgaria (PB) grouping at 44%, which would give him an absolute majority of at least 129 seats in the 240-seat parliament.

The European Union’s poorest member has seen successive governments since 2021, when anti-graft rallies brought down the conservative administration of pro-European leader Boyko Borissov.

Radev, 62, who resigned earlier this year after nine years as president, ran on a pledge to fight corruption.

PB came in well ahead of Borissov’s GERB party and the liberal PP-DB coalition, both of which stood at about 12%, according to the projections. Official final results are expected no earlier than Monday.

“PB has won unequivocally – a victory of hope over distrust, a victory of freedom over fear,” Radev told reporters outside his group’s office in Sofia.

He said Bulgaria would “make every effort to continue on its European path”.

“But believe me, a strong Bulgaria and a strong Europe need critical thinking and pragmatism. Europe has fallen victim to its own ambition to be a moral leader in a world with new rules,” the former air force general added.

Boyko Borissov, the leader of the centre-right GERB party and a longtime prime minister of Bulgaria, after voting in Bankya. Photograph: Spasiyana Sergieva/Reuters

Radev has said he wants to rid the country of 6.5 million people of its “oligarchic governance model”. He backed anti-corruption protests last year that brought down the latest conservative-backed government.

“Everything simply has to change,” Stiliana Andonova, a retired engineer, told AFP after casting her ballot in Sofia, listing “the judicial system” and “corruption” among concerns.

Radev has emerged as an “unequivocal winner,” Boryana Dimitrova of the Alpha Research polling agency told the AFP news agency.

Borissov, who has headed the country virtually uninterrupted for close to a decade, congratulated Radev earlier Sunday but insisted that “winning elections is one thing, governing is another”.

Borissov, 65, has dismissed claims that Radev brings something “new”, while highlighting his own party’s “extremely pro-European position,” including support for Ukraine and the EU.

Radev, who has called for renewing ties with Russia and opposes military aid to Ukraine, was president for nine years before stepping down to lead the new centre-left Progressive Bulgaria group of parties.

After voting earlier in Sofia, Radev called for a “democratic, modern, European Bulgaria”. He also said he hoped for “practical relations with Russia, based on mutual respect and equal treatment”.

Citizens wait to vote at a polling station in Sofia. Photograph: Borislav Troshev/EPA

Radev has denounced a 10-year defence agreement signed last month between Bulgaria and Ukraine, which has been battling Russia’s full-scale invasion since 2022.

He has also opposed Bulgaria sending arms to Ukraine, though he has said he would not use his country’s veto to block EU decisions.

Turnout exceeded 50%, the highest since April 2021, Dobromir Zhivkov, director of the Market Links agency, told AFP. Participation had fallen to just 39% in the 2024 elections amid widespread public distrust in politics.

Political parties had called on Bulgarians to show up for the polls, also to curb the impact of vote-buying. In recent weeks, police seized more than €1m (£870,000) in raids against alleged vote-buying operations. They detained hundreds of people including local councillors and mayors.