Presidential race in Bulgaria heads to runoff due to record low turnout
Record low turnout and a fragmented field are expected to send the race to a Nov. 1 runoff between two sharply different political camps.
- Bulgarians headed to the polls on Sunday for a presidential election that ended inconclusively, forcing a runoff on Nov. 1 after record low turnout prevented any candidate from securing an outright majority.
- Incumbent President Iliana Yotova faces challenger Andrei Gyurov, a former caretaker prime minister, in a polarized contest between contrasting political visions on Russia, Ukraine, and Bulgaria's European future.
- Projections indicate turnout fell below 40% of 6.6 million registered voters, reflecting voter apathy. Latest opinion polls gave Yotova 40% to 45% support versus Gyurov's 25-30% in the first round.
- Bulgaria's president leads the armed forces, appoints ambassadors, and signs international treaties. The election serves as a major test for Prime Minister Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party following its parliamentary victory in April.
- Campaign discussions centered on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and drone attacks on Black Sea shipping near Bulgaria's coast. The runoff outcome will shape the European Union and NATO member's diplomatic stance on regional security and economic hardship.
24 Articles
24 Articles
The Bakersfield Californian
Presidential race in Bulgaria heads to runoff due to record low turnout
The presidential election in Bulgaria has ended inconclusively, with the next head of state to be picked in a runoff. A record low turnout, attributed by observers to a general mistrust in politicians resulting in voter apathy, will pit two…
In Bulgaria, early presidential elections are held this Sunday, after the resignation of Rumen Radev in the spring, who in the meantime became the country's prime minister. His former vice-president, Iliana...
The voter turnout in the presidential elections reached 16.04% as of 4:00 p.m., the Central Election Commission announced. This is 8.08 percentage points lower than the same time in the previous presidential elections in 2021, when 24.12% of voters voted. "As of 4:00 p.m., the turnout is 16.04%," the CEC announced. Sofia with the highest turnout The most voters went to the polls in the 23rd electoral district in Sofia. There, the turnout was 25.…
The first EXITPOLL is now clear. It was commissioned by the Trend agency. The presidential candidate pair Iliyana Yotova and Kiril Valchev are leading after ...
The president will be elected on the ballot next week.
Voter turnout at the level of the whole of Bulgaria by 4:00 p.m. was 16.04 percent, announced Stojanka Balova, spokesperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC), at a briefing on the presidential and vice-presidential elections being held today.
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