Eastern Balkans in January 2026: the most important developments in politics
Bulgaria dominated politics in the Eastern Balkans in January 2026. President Rumen Radev announced on 19 January that he was resigning ahead of a snap parliamentary election, and several accounts said he intends to run for prime minister or found his own party. The Constitutional Court approved the resignation, and on 23 January Iliana Yotova became Bulgaria's first female president. She pledged constitutional discipline as talks on a caretaker government began. Petar Chobanov and Radoslav Milenkov, deputy governor of the central bank, each declined the post of acting prime minister.
Earlier in the month, Bulgaria's largest party and then its second-largest party each refused a mandate to form a government, and a further snap election was widely expected after protests and the fall of the government. Trump named Nikola Mladenov, a Bulgarian diplomat, to lead the Gaza peace council.
In Moldova, President Maia Sandu said she backs unification with Romania as a way to resist Russia. The opposition said she and her party present a false choice between the CIS and the EU, and one report noted that the stance carries a risk of impeachment. In Romania, the government presented a draft public administration reform, the country passed the OECD Fiscal Affairs Committee evaluation in its accession process, and it signed a defence cooperation agreement with Germany on 29 January. The EU took Romania to court over landfill rules.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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