(ANSA) - BELGRADE, MAR 20 - Bulgaria's campaign for snap parliamentary elections on April 19, the eighth in five years, began today. The most recent crisis erupted in December, when mass protests across Bulgaria against the government, accusing it of corruption and collusion with mafia circles, forced Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov and his cabinet to resign. Zhelyazkov, a member of the conservative GERB party, formed a coalition with the Socialists and the populist ITN, three historically opposing parties. Then, on January 19, in an unprecedented move in Bulgarian history, President Rumen Radev announced his resignation and was succeeded by his deputy, Iliana Iotova. Rudev, a general and former air force commander, resigned a year before the end of his five-year term, stating unequivocally that his resignation was required for his election campaign with a new, breakaway party, 'Progressive Bulgaria,' whose central programmatic theme is the fight against corruption. Radev declared himself prepared to "destroy the oligarchic model and combat the mafia that has infiltrated all levels of government in the country." According to the most recent polls, Radev's party has the potential to significantly change the political landscape in the April election, with all polling agencies predicting a victory for Progressive Bulgaria. (ANSA).