Presidential race in Bulgaria heads to runoff due to record low turnout
Low turnout below 40% set up a runoff between Iliana Yotova and Andrey Gyurov, with the campaign centered on Ukraine and Black Sea security.
- On Sunday, Bulgarians voted in a presidential election that ended inconclusively due to record low turnout, forcing a runoff on Nov. 1 between the two leading contenders.
- Incumbent President Iliana Yotova faces challenger Andrei Gyurov, representing starkly different visions on Ukraine and Russia. Yotova advocates for peace through negotiations, while Gyurov, a former caretaker prime minister, strongly supports Euro-Atlantic ties.
- Projections showed turnout below 40% of 6.6 million registered voters, far short of the 50% threshold required. Latest opinion polls gave Yotova 40% to 45% support, while Gyurov polled 25-30% in the first round.
- Bulgaria's president leads the armed forces, signs international treaties, and appoints ambassadors. The election serves as a significant test for Prime Minister Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party following its parliamentary victory.
- Campaign discussions centered on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and drone attacks in the Black Sea, heightening security concerns for the European Union and NATO member. The runoff outcome will shape Bulgaria's diplomatic stance on the conflict.
94 Articles
94 Articles
CURRENT Bulgarian President Iliana Jotova won a narrow lead in the first round of Bulgaria's presidential election over former interim Prime Minister Andrei Gjurov, exit polls showed.
The second round of voting will decide who will become Bulgaria's president, as no candidate won more than half of the votes in Sunday's first round. According to an Alpha Research exit poll, incumbent President Iliana Yotova came in first with 35.3 percent of the vote. Her main challenger, former Prime Minister Andrei Gyurov, is closely behind her with 32.4 percent. Nationalist Kostadin Kostadonov came in third, with 12.6 percent of the vote.
Bulgarian’s incumbent President Iliana Iotova is winning in the first round of the presidential election with 35.3% of votes, according to exit polls
Her rival, the former prime minister of the technical government Andrey Gyurov, who was supported by the opposition, is garnering 32.2% votes. The two will face each other in the runoff election on November...
The current Bulgarian predsjednica Iliana Jotova osvojila is neznatnu prednost at prvom krugu predsjedničkih izbora at Bugarskoj at nedjelju ispred bivšeg privremenog of Prime Minister Andrej Gjurov, showed su izlazne ankete. Ankete pouju da je Jotova dobila između 35 i 36.5 […] Objava U second krugu predsjedničkih izbora u Bugarskoj Jotova i Gjurov pojavila se prvi puta on Novi list.
The President-in-Office Iliana Iotova took the lead in the first round of Bulgaria's presidential elections on Sunday, obtaining between 35 and 36.5% of the votes, according to polls at the polls, reports AFP and Novinite.
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