Bulgaria Holds Presidential Runoff Between Iotova and Gyurov

Bulgarians voted on November 1, 2026, in a presidential runoff between incumbent Iliana Iotova and Andrey Gyurov. Neither candidate secured a majority in the October 25 first round, which recorded the lowest turnout in Bulgarian history at roughly 23 percent.

Iotova, 61, took 34.76 percent of the valid votes in the first round with 528,951 ballots. Gyurov, 50, followed with 31.95 percent and 486,232 votes. The gap was narrower than most pre-election polls had projected. A third candidate, Kostadin Kostadinov of the nationalist Revival party, finished with about 12.5 percent. Twenty-seven tickets contested the first round.

In a runoff, a simple plurality is sufficient. Turnout in the first round stood at 22.98 percent of roughly 6.58 million registered voters. Observers linked the low participation to political apathy and distrust in institutions. Early figures for the runoff showed turnout at 6.11 percent by 11:00, slightly above the same hour in the first round. Machine voting stopped in 14 sections, with most switching to paper. The Central Election Commission received 16 reports of ballot-secrecy issues.

Iotova became president in January after Rumen Radev resigned to enter parliamentary politics. She is backed by Radev's Progressive Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, and other left-leaning groups. Gyurov, an economist and former interim prime minister, is supported by the pro-Western reformist coalition of Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria. The two differ on approaches to the war in Ukraine: Iotova and Radev have favoured dialogue with Moscow, while Gyurov supports closer EU alignment and continued military aid to Kyiv.

Prime Minister Radev has publicly backed Iotova. A win for her would make her Bulgaria's first elected female president. Gyurov has argued that the first-round result showed appetite for change among those who voted. Both campaigns focused on Black Sea security after a series of drone attacks on merchant vessels off the Bulgarian coast that killed seafarers.

The presidency in Bulgaria is largely ceremonial, but the office carries influence over foreign policy statements and can return legislation to parliament. The runoff coincides with broader European political tensions, including protests in France and Germany over living costs and a constitutional standoff in Poland.

Official results are expected later on November 1 or early November 2. The Central Election Commission has confirmed all polling stations opened, with some power cuts requiring paper ballots in places such as Slivnitsa and Silistra. Prediction markets priced Iotova as the favourite entering the day, though the first-round margin leaves room for movement from eliminated candidates' voters.

Low first-round turnout means the eventual winner will have the support of a small share of the overall electorate. Both campaigns urged higher participation. The outcome will shape Bulgaria's stance on EU foreign policy and domestic reform debates for the next term.