Болгарский земледельческий народный союз
In the 1990s, following the beginning of the democratic transition, he entered politics as part of the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union "Nikola Petkov" (Bulgarian: Българския земеделски народен съюз „Никола Петков“) and later became an influential member of the UDF, characterized as being among the "third wave" politicians in the party. Bakardzhiev was a deputy in the 38th and 39th National Parliaments.