Bulgaria will vote for president as Ukraine and Black Sea drone attacks dominate campaign
- Bulgaria holds presidential elections on Sunday, October 25, 2026, serving as a test for President Rumen Radev's government amid security concerns following recent Black Sea drone attacks.
- Although 27 candidates are on the ballot, the race has narrowed to a duel between incumbent President Iliana Yotova, backed by the prime minister, and former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, supported by opposition parties.
- Polls show Yotova leading Gyurov by about 12 percentage points, though analyst Boriana Dimitrova noted the drone strikes brought the geopolitical situation "right into the daily lives of every Bulgarian."
- Yotova pledged at a rally this month that "not a single Bulgarian soldier will go to Ukraine," while Gyurov claimed the current concentration of power bears "marks of a slide toward autocracy."
- Protester Vlada Tzenova described the drone attacks and government inaction as a "catalyst" for change, signaling voter discontent may influence the weekend election outcome.
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Ukraine war divides Bulgaria as voters elect president
Polling stations opened at 7:00 am local time (0500 GMT) and close at 8:00 pm. President Iliana Iotova, who favours dialogue with Moscow and opposes military aid to Ukraine, is the frontrunner for a new term in the largely ceremonial post, polls show. After casting her vote, Iotova said she wanted to address "the dire issue of poverty" in the EU's poorest member state, "alongside inequalities and regional disparities". "I believe that there must…
Polls have opened in Bulgaria for its presidential election, in a campaign dominated by mounting economic woes and drone attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea. Before Sunday's vote, President Iliana Iotova, 61, and former interim Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, led the polls among the 27 candidates in the race, reports Telegraph. The president in Bulgaria has a largely ceremonial role, as major political decisions must be approved by parl…
Bulgarians vote this Sunday to elect their president in a climate of divisions in the face of the war in Ukraine and security concerns Bulgarians began voting on Sunday to elect
Bulgarians vote Sunday to elect a new president, in a vote marked by security concerns, following a series of drone attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea, near the coasts of Bulgaria, reports AFP
The polls put Iliana Yotova, Vice-President (61 years) and former Head of Government Andre Gjorov (50 years) at the forefront of a race of 27 candidates.
Bulgarians vote Sunday for the election of the president, on the basis of concerns about security in the Black Sea and divisions related to the war in Ukraine. Favored in the polls is the current president, Iliana Iotova, who pleads for dialogue with Moscow and opposes the continuation of the military aid granted to Kiev.
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