Iliana Iotova elected Bulgaria’s first female president with 57.6 percent

Iliana Iotova won Bulgaria’s presidential runoff on 1 November with 57.6 percent of the vote, becoming the country’s first female president. Official results released on 2 November showed her rival, former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov, at 39.5 percent. Turnout stood at 29.1 percent. Iotova’s five-year term begins on 22 January 2027.

Iotova, 61, is a former member of the European Parliament and served as vice-president under Rumen Radev. When Radev resigned in January 2026 to form his own party, Progressive Bulgaria, and lead it to victory in April parliamentary elections, Iotova became acting president. She ran with Kiril Valchev, director of the Bulgarian News Agency, as her vice-presidential candidate. The Central Election Commission declared the pair elected after processing nearly all protocols.

Campaign positions and party support

Iotova campaigned as “the President of peace.” She has called for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine and expressed scepticism about further military aid. She has also advocated a more balanced stance toward Russia and less automatic alignment with every EU position. Both she and Gyurov condemned recent attacks on Bulgarian territory; Radev said the strikes’ outcome benefited the Russian Federation.

Progressive Bulgaria and Iotova’s former party, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, backed her. Gyurov drew support from pro-Western reformist groups and has long expressed support for Ukraine. The presidency in Bulgaria is largely ceremonial; its powers can be overridden by a simple parliamentary majority. The office still carries symbolic weight and a limited veto.

Vote totals and next steps

Iotova and Valchev received 1,093,564 votes. Gyurov and his running mate Georgi Kandev received 749,543. Another 56,070 ballots, or 2.95 percent, marked “I do not support any of the candidates.” The Central Election Commission adopted the final declaration unanimously. Iotova thanked Radev publicly, saying the result would not have been possible without him.

Low turnout of 29.1 percent is consistent with recent Bulgarian elections. The country has held multiple parliamentary votes in recent years amid fragmented party systems. Progressive Bulgaria’s April win gave Radev’s movement a governing mandate; the presidential result reinforces that position for the next five years.

What the result changes

The presidency does not control the budget or the armed forces. It does appoint caretaker governments in certain circumstances and can return legislation to parliament. Iotova has said strengthening ties with Bulgarian communities abroad will be a priority for her vice-president. On foreign policy she has signalled continuity with Radev’s preference for negotiated outcomes in Ukraine rather than open-ended military support.

The formal inauguration occurs in January. Until then Iotova continues as acting president. Danish and other European governments have not issued formal reactions to the result. Domestic coverage has focused on the gender milestone and the low turnout rather than on immediate policy shifts. The verified numbers remain the 57.6 percent margin, the 29.1 percent turnout, and the 22 January start of the new term.