Presidential race in Bulgaria heads to runoff due to record low turnout
Record low turnout left no candidate above 50% as Iliana Yotova and Andrey Gyurov emerged as the likely runoff contenders, officials said.
- 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.
132 Articles
132 Articles
The presidential election in Bulgaria is decided between Ilijana Jotova and Andrej Gjurov. No candidate reached an absolute majority on Sunday.
The current president, Iliana Yotova, secured first place in the first round of Bulgaria's presidential election, but her vote share has dropped. Based on multiple exit polls broadcast by Bulgarian television networks immediately after the polls closed, Yotova, who is in favor of dialogue with Russia, is garnering support between 35% and 36.5%. In the next election, she will face Andrei Gurov, the former caretaker prime minister who was supporte…
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, broadcast AFP and Novinite quoted by News.ro.
The presidential election in Bulgaria ended undecided as a result of the race between President Iliana Iotova and her rival former Prime Minister Andrei Gjorov.
If she were to win the ballotage scheduled for November 1, she would be the first woman to be elected president of this country.
According to exit polls, Bulgaria's moderate pro-Russian President Iliana Jotova received the most votes in the first round of the presidential election. Due to a historically low turnout, a second round of voting will be necessary on November 1. According to various Bulgarian projections, slightly more than 20 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots. According to various exit polls, Jotova is estimated to have obtained between 35.2 and 3…
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