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Bulgarian incumbent president faces pro-Western reformist in runoff on Sunday · Best of: Features

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  Bulgaria incumbent president faces pro Western reformist in runoff on Sunday. Written
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  by Veselin Toshkov. This article is being read by an automated voice
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  generated by Everlet. SOFIA, Bulgaria, the AP. Bulgaria's next president
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  will be elected in a runoff vote after a close race between
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  the two main contenders ended inconclusively, official results showed on Monday. With
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  almost all ballots counted, the Central Election Commission said that incumbent Ilyana
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  Yotova attracted thirty four point eight percent, compared with thirty two percent
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  for opposition candidate Andrei Gurov. While turnout must be above fifty percent
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  of the six point six million eligible voters for a first round
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  victory, only twenty two percent had cast their ballots, according to polling
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  agencies. The voter apathy was attributed by observers to a general mistrust
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  in politicians. The two candidates will pit contrasting political visions against each
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  other in a highly polarized contest on Sunday. Contrary to pre election
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  expectations by observers for a double digit difference in favor of Yotova,
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  her opponent showed a surprisingly strong performance, leaving all options open for
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  the runoff. Bulgarians voted against a backdrop of growing economic hardship and
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  drone attacks on Black Sea shipping, which have left several sailors dead
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  or missing. The voter was the first major test for the Moscow
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  friendly Progressive Bulgaria Party of Prime Minister Ruman Radev, after its triumph
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  in parliamentary elections in April. The party had endorsed Yodova. Speaking to
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  journalists on Monday, Radiv commented that many voters had stayed at home
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  because they believed the outcome had already been decided. While one side
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  saw strong voter mobilization, the other appeared less engaged. I believe this
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  could change in the runoff given the stakes of this election, he
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  said, adding that the choice next Sunday will be between peace and
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  war. Yotova is running as an independent, but she also has the
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  official backing of Progressive Bulgaria and the Socialist Party, where her career
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  began. If she wins, Yotova will become Bulgaria's first elected female president.
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  As Vice President, she automatically became president earlier this year when Radev
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  resigned to lead his party in the general election. Yotova is expected
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  to continue Radov's policy of keeping Bulgaria on its European path, while
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  also calling for improved relations with Russia and the lifting of sanctions.
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  Both Yotova and Radiv have called for a diplomatic solution to end
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  the war in Ukraine. Observers say that a victory for Yotova would
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  keep the Presidency in the hands of the ruling majority. Such a
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  concentration of power could prevent the effective maintenance of checks and balances
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  on policy decisions by institutions. Yotova's challenger is Economist Gyurov, a
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  former deputy governor of the Central Bank and Caretaker Prime Minister, who
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  led the country in early 2026. He is backed by the pro
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  Western, reformist opposition. Gyrov has often expressed firm support for Ukraine
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  and signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv during his premiership. I
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  want Bulgaria to have a voice of its own in Europe. I
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  want it to be a reliable NATO ally that defends its interests
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  through preparedness, strong diplomacy, and a clear position, he told supporters ahead
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  of the election. According to Radan Kanev, leader of Democrats for a
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  Strong Bulgaria, one of the parties that backed Gyorov, Democrats had been
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  underestimated in these elections, by the ruling parties, polling agencies, and the
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  media. We saw the mobilization of people who want a strong European
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  Bulgaria and want a balance of powers, he said.