The civic movement Third March (Treti Mart) has formally launched procedures to register as a political party, announcing its intentions at a meeting in Nessebar, Bulgaria. The decision was presented by the chairman of the movement, Tihomir Atanasov, who said an initiative committee has already been formed and tasked with preparing a founding congress and completing the legal steps required for party registration. The committee includes representatives from across the country, covering around 22 to 23 regions.
According to Atanasov, the future Third March party openly supports the policies of President Rumen Radev and considers him its informal leader. He stressed that this designation reflects civic and political support rather than a formal or institutional link. The party leadership maintains that Radev represents the only credible alternative to what they describe as a failed governing model. The movement has also declared its ambition to take part in the next parliamentary elections and to play a significant role in the formation of a future government.
At this stage, the organization is funded through membership fees. Atanasov said the movement currently has around 5,000 members nationwide. Nessebar was deliberately chosen as the location for the announcement due to its historical and cultural symbolism. During the event, a founding declaration was officially adopted and read publicly. The document defines March 3 as a core national symbol of freedom and Bulgarian statehood.
The declaration outlines the ideological profile of the new party, which presents itself as a civil community committed to defending Bulgaria’s independence, national identity, and traditions. Its stated core values include sovereignty, the family, Christian principles, national unity, justice, education, and spirituality. Among its main objectives are the revival of national pride, protection of citizens’ dignity, economic development, and policies aimed at supporting Bulgarian families.
Despite the movement’s insistence on its support for President Radev, the initiative comes against the backdrop of his earlier public distancing from Third March and similar projects. In November, Radev sharply criticized groups claiming to act in his name, describing them as fraudsters and stating that only a political formation he personally announces should be considered connected to him. He explicitly said that Third March and other initiatives had no relation to him and accused those invoking his name of serving oligarchic interests.
Commenting on this contradiction, Atanasov declined to engage directly with Radev’s remarks. He reiterated that the movement’s position has not changed, emphasizing that Third March consists of citizens who support the president’s policies and view him as an informal leader, without claiming he has formally endorsed or joined the party.
Tihomir Atanasov is not a newcomer to Bulgaria’s non-parliamentary political scene. His past involvement includes participation in ex-Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev’s “Justice for Bulgaria” party and Nikolay Barekov’s “Bulgaria Without Censorship”. With Third March, he now leads a new political project that aims to convert civic dissatisfaction into electoral representation.
The movement first appeared publicly as a national-patriotic civic initiative, focusing on themes such as criticism of the existing party system, calls for stronger presidential authority, and skepticism toward Bulgaria’s current political and geopolitical trajectory. Its public rhetoric has often overlapped with President Radev’s critical stance toward governments and parliamentary parties, fueling long-standing speculation about whether the head of state might eventually launch his own political project.
These developments are unfolding amid deep political instability. President Radev has already announced that the procedure for handing out mandates to form a new government will begin in Spring 2026. If no cabinet is formed, early parliamentary elections will follow. This comes after the resignation of the GERB, BSP, TISP cabinet, supported by Delyan Peevski’s DPS New Beginning, amid large-scale protests. Consultations with parliamentary forces have shown no willingness to form a new majority, further reinforcing expectations of snap elections in which the newly registered Third March party intends to compete.
March 3, 1878 marks the signing of the Treaty of San Stefano, which ended the Russo-Turkish War and restored Bulgarian statehood after nearly five centuries of Ottoman rule. The treaty laid the foundations for the modern Bulgarian state by establishing an autonomous Bulgarian principality, making the date a powerful symbol of national liberation, sovereignty, and rebirth. Although the treaty’s provisions were later revised by the Congress of Berlin, March 3 remains a defining moment in Bulgaria’s historical memory and is celebrated as the country’s National Liberation Day.
In addition, March 3, 1918 holds a distinct and often contested significance in Bulgarian history as the date of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty, when Bolshevik Russia capitulated and withdrew from the First World War, marking a rare moment in which Bulgaria emerged as part of the victorious side in a major international settlement. Unlike 1878, Bulgaria participated in the negotiations as a fully sovereign state, represented by its own delegation, head of state and government, and signed a final, ratified multilateral treaty that ended the war on the Eastern Front. The treaty confirmed Bulgaria’s military achievements on the southern flank, weakened Russia’s ability to influence postwar settlements, and contributed to the collapse of the Russian Empire, enabling the independence of several Eastern European nations. In Bulgarian historical interpretation, March 3, 1918 is viewed by some scholars as an act of historical justice and a moment of political emancipation from Russian dominance, reinforcing national sovereignty at a time when Bulgaria pursued unification of its ethnic lands, even though this success was later overshadowed by defeat, internal collapse and the severe consequences imposed after the war.
Further reading: March 3rd 1918: Russia Capitulated to Bulgaria?