Pro-Russian Rumen Radev on course for runaway victory in Bulgarian elections

Stronger-than-expected win for former president could end years of weak coalition governments

The pro-Russian former president Rumen Radev is on course for a runaway victory in Bulgaria's election, official results show, potentially ending years of weak coalition governments and sidelining long-dominant political forces.

The performance, surpassing opinion polls, is one of the strongest results by a single party in a generation and may end, for now, the instability that led to eight elections in five years.