Iliana Yotova Wins Runoff to Become Bulgaria’s First Elected Female President
Preliminary results show Yotova with 57.6% of votes, and she would become Bulgaria's first elected woman president if confirmed.
- Acting President Iliana Yotova won Bulgaria's presidential runoff on Sunday with 57.6% of the vote, securing a five-year mandate backed by Progressive Bulgaria.
- President Rumen Radev stepped down in January 2026 to compete in parliamentary elections, making Yotova acting president. Progressive Bulgaria won an absolute majority in April, endorsing her candidacy.
- Yotova defeated opposition candidate Andrey Gyurov, who received 39.3% of the vote. Turnout rose to 27% in the runoff, up from 23% in the first round.
- If confirmed, Yotova will become Bulgaria's first woman elected president. The victory allows Radev's ruling majority to retain control of the presidency.
- Despite supporting European and NATO membership, Yotova advocates for diplomatic negotiations with Russia on Ukraine and opposes providing military aid to Kyiv.
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60 Articles
Iliana Jotova has said, among other things, that she opposes military support for Ukraine. In the second round of the presidential election, only 27 percent of those eligible to vote voted.
The Bulgarian President, elected on Sunday, promises to be a "President of Peace" and hopes that Russia will play, in the future, "an important role in the architecture of European security".
Yiliana Yotova, a 62-year-old socialist, defeated the Europeanist challenger Andrei Ghiurov. Her position on the war in Ukraine: "It is necessary to resort to diplomacy, not arms." The article Elections in Bulgaria, wins the candidate who wants to dialogue with Moscow comes from The Truth.
The incumbent, Ilijana Jotova, supported by Prime Minister Rumen Radev, clearly asserted herself against pro-Western economist Andrey Gjurov in the run-off election, calling for negotiations with Russia.
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