Bulgaria votes as pro-Russian former president leads the polls

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Sofia -

Bulgarians went to the polls on Sunday in the eighth parliamentary election in five years, with the clear frontrunner, pro-Russian former President Rumen Radev, promising to stamp out corruption and end a spiral of weak, short-lived governments.

Radev, a eurosceptic ​former fighter pilot who opposes military support for Ukraine's war effort against Moscow, stepped down from the presidency in January ‌to run ‌in the election, which comes after mass protests forced out the previous government in December.

A slick social ​media campaign, deep coffers and a pledge of stability have boosted Radev's support in the Balkan country of about 6.5 million, where voters are weary of repeated snap polls and a small group of veteran politicians widely seen as corrupt.