Iliana Iotova Wins Bulgarian Presidential Runoff as First Elected Female Head of State

Iliana Iotova won Bulgaria’s presidential runoff on 1 November and will become the country’s first elected female head of state.

Near-final results from the Central Election Commission showed the Iotova-Valchev ticket with 57.58 percent of the vote, or about 1.1 million ballots. Opponents Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev received 39.47 percent, roughly 749,500 votes. About 2.95 percent of voters chose the option to support neither candidate.

The runoff followed a first round on 25 October in which no ticket secured a majority. Iotova and Valchev led that round with 34.6 percent, ahead of Gyurov and Kandev on 32 percent.

Iotova, 62, had served as vice president before becoming acting president in January after Rumen Radev resigned to contest parliamentary elections. Radev won those elections and backed Iotova. Both have called for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine and opposed military aid to Kyiv.

Voter turnout in the runoff stood at approximately 27 to 28 percent, up slightly from the record-low 23 percent in the first round. Iotova won in 28 of the country’s electoral districts. Gyurov led in three, including two in Sofia and Kardzhali.

Among voters abroad, Gyurov took 56.23 percent while Iotova received 41.55 percent. Official results are expected by Wednesday at the latest. Under the constitution, the candidate with the most votes in the runoff wins regardless of turnout.

The presidency in Bulgaria is largely ceremonial, yet the result maintains continuity with Radev’s approach to foreign policy. Iotova has said peace in Ukraine can come only through negotiations and that she wants Bulgaria to be strong in a strong Europe while remaining sovereign in its decisions.

Gyurov, a banker and former caretaker prime minister backed by pro-Western opposition parties, conceded the outcome. He stated that the results must be accepted as the citizens had voted.

The low turnout continues a pattern of political apathy and distrust noted by observers in recent Bulgarian elections. The first round had already set a historical low for participation.

Iotova’s term will run until the end of January 2032. She previously ran on tickets with Radev in 2016 and 2021. Her running mate, Kiril Valchev, directs the Bulgarian News Agency.

The outcome leaves the presidency aligned with the current government’s preference for dialogue with Moscow amid ongoing European divisions over Ukraine. It also marks a clear gender milestone in a country of 6.4 million people.

Whether the ceremonial role will shift any concrete policy remains limited by the office’s powers. The parliamentary majority under Radev continues to set the main direction on foreign and domestic questions.

The narrow first-round margin had raised the possibility of a closer runoff than pre-election polls predicted. Exit polls on election day already pointed to a clear Iotova lead, which the final count confirmed.

Bulgarian voters have now chosen the first woman elected directly to the presidency. The practical effects will depend on how she uses the limited platform the constitution provides.