Acting President Iliana Iotova appears to have won Bulgaria’s presidential run-off, according to initial results, after her rival, Andrey Gyurov, conceded defeat.
Iotova, who favours dialogue with Russia and opposes military aid to Ukraine, took 58 percent of Sunday’s vote, according to several polling agencies’ tallies. If official figures confirm the outcome, she would become the first woman elected to Bulgaria’s top state office.
Gyurov concedes as turnout edges up
Gyurov, a former interim prime minister backed by the pro-Western opposition, is reported to be trailing with about 38 percent. He said the result had to be accepted as it stood. “This is how the Bulgarian citizens have voted,” he said.
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Exit polls suggest turnout of roughly 27 to 29 percent, slightly higher than the first round last week, which recorded a record-low 23 percent. Official results are due on Monday, although the presidency is largely ceremonial.
Voters explain their choices at the polls
Iotova, 61, became acting president in January, when her longtime ally, Prime Minister Rumen Radev, stepped down to run in a parliamentary election, which he won.
Krassimira Kostova, a 64-year-old teacher in the capital, Sofia, voted despite her doubts. “I don’t like either of the two candidates,” she told a news agency. Petar Doitchinov, a 67-year-old retired engineer, skipped the first round because he expected a run-off. He said he backed “the lesser evil”, as neither candidate matched his “vision of democracy”.
Drone attacks on Black Sea shipping cast a shadow
The vote takes place while 21 people remain missing after a series of drone attacks last month on commercial vessels off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. They are suspected to be spillover from Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Radev said the attacks appear to serve Moscow’s interests and summoned the Russian ambassador. His government, however, said there was no evidence directly linking them to Moscow. Both presidential candidates condemned the attacks and called for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine.
Debate clash and first-round results
In a television debate, Gyurov, a banker, criticised Iotova for not explicitly blaming Russia. “Russia must stop its aggression so that the next steps can be taken,” he said. Iotova responded that “peace can come only through negotiations” and, after voting, said she wanted “Bulgaria to be strong in a strong Europe”.
In the first round, Iotova won 35 percent to Gyurov’s 32 percent, a far narrower gap than the 20-point lead opinion polls had forecast for her. Political analyst Teodor Slavev said voters were judging “Iotova’s unconvincing response regarding Russian threats in the Black Sea”.
