Radan Kanev Elected Democrats for Stong Bulgaria Leader

UPDATED Radan Kanev Elected Democrats for Stong Bulgaria Leader

Metodi Yordanov, Marin Kolev

The newly elected DSB leader Ranad Kanev at his party's National Convention in Sofia, July 11, 2026 (BTA Photo/Milena Stoykova)

Sofia,

11.07.2026 17:45 | UPDATED 11.07.2026 19:05

(BTA)

Radan Kanev was elected as the new leader of Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) by the delegates of the party's National Convention here on Saturday.

A total of 530 delegates voted, with 302 backing Kanev and 223 supporting current DSB deputy chair Yordan Ivanov, who was also a candidate for the post. Five ballots were invalid.

Radan Kanev replaces Atanas Atanassov as DSB leader, who assumed the post in 2017. Kanev previously served as DSB leader from June 2013 until 2017 and has now been elected to a second term. His new mandate will last four years.

Kanev is currently a Member of the European Parliament.

During the National Convention, Yordan Ivanov and Lyudmila Ilieva were elected deputy chairs of the party. Katya Paneva, Kristina Petkova, Borislav Radev, Evgeni Haralampiev, Dimitar Chorbadzhiev, Georgi Nedev and Ivo Bozhkov were elected members of the national leadership.

Kanev said that although the party's national leadership has 12 seats, he had decided to leave two positions vacant for the coming year in order to attract new people to the party. He also said that outgoing leader Atanas Atanassov had chosen not to remain part of the party's leadership.

In his vision for the party's future, Kanev outlined what he sees as DSB's tasks in light of new political realities. These are simple and clear, he argues, but require an ambitious vision for both the party and the country: addressing the risks stemming from what he describes as "the one-man populist rule of Prime Minister Rumen Radev", actively contributing to the consolidation of the democratic opposition between 2026 and 2030, and presenting Bulgarian society with a bold centre-right alternative based on a new national consensus under the "Bulgaria 2050" horizon.

He also set several strategic goals for DSB: to become a nationally recognized party advocating right-wing economic policies, to serve as a guarantor of the rule of law and liberal democracy, and to be the party of Bulgaria's active participation in the new European unity.

Speaking to reporters after his election, Kanev said that none of these objectives could be achieved without the partnership within the Democratic Bulgaria coalition, of which DSB is a part of, and without the consolidation of the right-wing democratic opposition.

Asked whether he supported former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gurov (February - May, 2026) as a presidential candidate, Kanev replied that Gurov had not announced such a candidacy. "We are working towards a single candidate of the democratic opposition who can win the election. We do not yet have a name," he said. Kanev described the presidential election as an opportunity for the right-wing democratic opposition to halt what he called President Rumen Radev's "march towards absolute power."

Asked how he intended to lead the party while serving as a Member of the European Parliament, Kanev said he would rely much more heavily on his team.

Yordan Ivanov told reporters that he was satisfied with the campaign, although not with the election result.

According to information published on the party's website, DSB was founded on May 30, 2004 in Sofia, with former prime minister Ivan Kostov (1997-2001) elected as its first chair. Current DSB leader Atanas Atanassov has headed the party since 2017, having previously served for several years as its deputy chair. He also chaired the party's Sofia organization for many years.

/MY/