Boyko Borissov

Boyko Borissov has been the dominant figure in Bulgarian politics since 2009, serving as prime minister three times (2009-13, 2014-17, 2023-26) and founding the GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) party which became the country's largest parliamentary force. His political tenure has been characterised by populist centre-right economics, EU integration advocacy, and persistent corruption allegations that have generated mass protests and EU scrutiny. In the April 2026 snap elections, his GERB-UDF Coalition lost enough seats to fall short of a governing majority, making Rumen Radev's bloc the lead formation partner.

For the nomad-and-communities topic, Borissov's relevance is primarily structural: GERB governed during Bulgaria's December 2025 launch of the digital nomad permit, and his loss of the parliamentary majority means his Coalition no longer controls the legislative agenda on immigration. The permit's future is now in the hands of a Radev-led government that is not hostile to it.

Borissov was arrested in March 2023 on EU arrest warrant related to EU fund mismanagement allegations, then released, and has maintained leadership of GERB through successive prosecutorial proceedings. The EU Commission has raised rule-of-law concerns about Bulgaria that are linked in part to GERB's management of EU structural funds.