SOFIA – Bulgarians went to the polls Sunday for a presidential runoff shaped by mounting regional security concerns and deepening economic pressure at home.
Acting President Iliana Yotova, who would become Bulgaria’s first elected woman president if successful, is competing against opposition candidate and former interim Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov. Yotova led Gyurov by just 2.8 percentage points in the Oct. 25 first round, which saw a record-low turnout of 23% among eligible voters, election officials said.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. as voters returned for a sharply divided contest between two competing political agendas. Initial exit-poll figures are due after voting ends at 8 p.m., while official results are expected Monday.
The election is unfolding amid worsening economic hardship and a rise in drone attacks targeting shipping in the Black Sea, incidents that have left several sailors dead or unaccounted for.
Yotova is contesting the presidency as an independent. She assumed the acting presidency earlier this year in her role as vice president after former President Rumen Radev resigned to lead his party to victory in parliamentary elections.
The runoff represents the first major electoral test for Prime Minister Radev’s Moscow-friendly Progressive Bulgaria party, which has thrown its support behind Yotova.
A Yotova presidency is expected to preserve Radev’s strategy of keeping Bulgaria aligned with Europe while advocating improved ties with Russia and an end to sanctions.
Yotova and Radev have both urged diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, but neither has offered a clear position on potential Russian responsibility for the drone attacks in the Black Sea.
In a televised debate this week, Yotova backed a settlement involving both Ukraine and Russia, arguing that “peace could come only through negotiations.” She also called for a security conference bringing together all six Black Sea nations to agree to a moratorium on hostilities.
Analysts say Yotova’s election would leave the presidency under the control of the governing majority. They warn that concentrating authority in one political camp could weaken institutional checks and balances over policy decisions.
Gyurov, an economist and former deputy governor of Bulgaria’s central bank, served as caretaker prime minister in early 2026. He has the backing of the country’s pro-Western, reform-oriented opposition.
During his time as prime minister, Gyurov consistently voiced strong support for Ukraine and signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv.
He has said Bulgaria should be a dependable NATO ally, capable of defending its interests through forceful diplomacy and a clear foreign policy.
Gyurov accused the government of avoiding an explicit designation of Russia as the aggressor in the war against Ukraine. He urged officials to identify the threat and ensure Bulgaria is involved in European Union decisions from the beginning.
“When you have no position and are not at the table, you are in fact on the menu,” he said.
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