Presidential race in Bulgaria heads to runoff due to record low turnout
Exit polls gave Iliana Yotova 35% to 36.5% and Andrey Gyurov 31% to 33.5%, setting up a runoff on Nov. 1.
- 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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(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ryu Mina = The Bulgarian presidential election, which turned into a competition between 'pro-Russia' and 'pro-Western' lines, failed to determine a winner amidst the lowest voter turnout in history...
Reformatorisch Dagblad
Bulgarian interim president Iliana Jotova emerged as the winner of the first round of the presidential election on Sunday, according to exit polls. She can count on 35 to 36.5 percent of the vote.
It is no surprise that Bulgaria's President Ilijana Jotova has reached first place in the first round of the election. Unexpectedly, her lead was relatively short. A final election is scheduled to take place next Sunday.
The current President, Iliana Yotova, and Kiril Wilchev, as Vice-President, lead the election of the President of Bulgaria with 35.5 per cent of the votes after processing more than 7 per cent of the ballots, reported to the Bulgarian CEC.
Participation in the elections was historically low, with an estimate of 21%, the lowest level since the fall of communism in 1989. More information: Bulgaria holds its presidential elections under the shadow of increasingly aggressive Russian attacks on the Black Sea
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