President Rumen Radev will remain in office until Friday, when the Constitutional Court is expected to rule on his resignation. The court has officially announced that a hearing on the case has been scheduled for January 23, starting at 10 a.m.

Further reading: NATO Pilot, Putin Sympathizer, or Something Else? Who Is Rumen Radev and Why Did He Just Blow Up Bulgarian Politics

The proceedings concern constitutional case No. 3/2026, opened immediately after Radev formally submitted his resignation on January 20. The rapporteur on the case is Judge Pavlina Panova, who is also the President of the Constitutional Court. According to the court, this type of case follows a simplified procedure. No evidence will be gathered, no opinions will be collected, and the parties will not be heard. Judge Panova has already clarified that a personal hearing of Radev is not required.

Radev publicly announced his intention to step down on January 19 in an address to the nation, stating that he was speaking to citizens for the last time as president. Under the Constitution, the president’s mandate ends once the Constitutional Court establishes the circumstances stated in the resignation act. A final ruling is expected within days and, by law, should not take more than a week.

Once the court’s decision enters into force, Vice President Iliana Yotova will assume the role of head of state. She is expected to serve as acting president until the end of the current term on January 21, 2027.

The situation is without precedent in Bulgaria’s recent history, as no president has previously resigned before completing a full mandate. The only comparable case dates back to 1993, when Vice President Blaga Dimitrova requested to leave her post one year into her term as deputy to President Zhelyu Zhelev.