Initial results suggest Yotova wins runoff to become Bulgaria’s first elected female president
Exit polls and early counts show Iliana Yotova with about 57.6% of the vote, putting her on track to become Bulgaria's first elected woman president.
- Acting President Iliana Yotova won Bulgaria's presidential runoff on Sunday, defeating Andrey Gyurov with 58% of the vote. She becomes the country's first elected female head of state.
- The election followed a first round on October 25 where no candidate secured an outright majority. Yotova assumed the acting presidency after Prime Minister Rumen Radev resigned to enter the parliamentary race.
- With 99.95% of precinct protocols processed, Yotova secured about 1.1 million votes while Gyurov received about 749,500 votes. About 2.95% of voters selected the "I support no one" option.
- Gyurov conceded defeat, stating "this is how the Bulgarian citizens have voted." Yotova's platform emphasizes maintaining European ties while seeking to lift sanctions on Russia.
- Presidents in Bulgaria serve a five-year term and hold primarily ceremonial duties. Despite lacking executive powers, the president leads the armed forces and appoints ambassadors, gaining authority through direct election.
231 Articles
231 Articles
Iliana Iotova's victory represents a political boost for Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who supported her candidacy. Iliana Iotova served as acting head of state after Radev stepped down from the presidency in January, having held the position since 2017, to participate in the parliamentary elections and end the country's political crisis. Ultimately, his coalition, Progressive Bulgaria, won an absolute majority in the April elections. During the e…
At 62 years of age, Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova was reappointed for a second term this Sunday, after having largely won (57.6%) the duel against the former pro-European Prime Minister Andrei Guiourov (39.5%). ...
Pro-EU Candidate Suffers Crushing Defeat in Bulgarian Presidential Runoff
Bulgaria’s pro-Western presidential candidate Andrey Gyurov suffered a crushing defeat in Sunday’s runoff, losing by 18 points to incumbent Iliana Iotova. Her landslide consolidates Rumen Radev’s sovereignty-oriented political camp and sends a clear signal to Brussels from a country increasingly sceptical of military aid to Ukraine and of confrontation with Moscow.
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