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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.
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115 Articles

Center

The outgoing President Iliana Iotova, who is in favour of a dialogue with Moscow, is slightly ahead of Andrey Gyurov in a vote dominated by security tensions in the Black Sea The outgoing President

·France
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Lean Left

The current president of Bulgaria, Iliana Yotova is leading after the first round of presidential elections held today, and according to the data of several exit polls conducted for the Bulgarian media, Yotova won between 35 percent and 36.5 percent of the vote.

·Belgrade, Serbia
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Lean Right

The current President of Bulgaria, Iliana Yotova, and the candidate for Vice-President, Kiril Vilchev, take the lead in the election of the Head of State in the first round, as follows from the extrapoll of the Alpha Research Agency. On the count of votes by 20.00 msk Yotov and Yvlchev, they hold 35.3 per cent of the votes in the presidential election, and transmit to RIA News with reference to Bulgarian National Television. The second seat, acc…

Lean Left

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.

·Zagreb, Croatia
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Lean Left

Exit polls show that the incumbent president, Iliana Yotova, and former prime minister, Andrei Giurov, will compete for the highest office in the country.

·Warsaw, Poland
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www.kleinezeitung.at broke the news on Saturday, October 24, 2026.
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