At a Glance

• Bulgarians voted Sunday in a presidential runoff.

• Exit polls show a lead for the acting president.

• Official results are still to come.

Exit polls in Bulgaria suggest Acting President Iliana Yotova has won the presidential runoff, which would make her the country's first elected female head of state if official results confirm it.

Key Statements and Focus Area

• Yotova on Ending the War: "Peace could come only through negotiations." — Iliana Yotova, Acting President, during a TV debate.

• Gyurov on Bulgaria's Role in Europe: "When you have no position and are not at the table, you are in fact on the menu." — Andrey Gyurov, former interim Prime Minister.

• Focus Area: The Bulgarian presidential runoff and the contrasting visions of the two candidates on Russia, Ukraine, and Bulgaria's place in Europe.

Surveys by several polling organizations give Yotova about 52% of the vote, compared with around 44% for Gyurov, who is backed by the pro-Western reformist opposition. Partial official results are expected later Sunday, with final results due Monday.

Yotova, an independent endorsed by Prime Minister Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party, narrowly led the first round on October 25 by 2.8 percentage points in a vote that drew a record-low turnout of just 23%.

The election took place amid growing economic hardship and drone attacks on Black Sea shipping that have left several sailors dead or missing. Yotova is expected to continue Radev's course of keeping Bulgaria on its European path while favoring better relations with Russia and the lifting of sanctions. She has also proposed a security meeting of all six Black Sea countries to sign a moratorium on hostilities.

Gyurov, an economist and former central bank deputy governor who led a caretaker government in early 2026, has voiced firm support for Ukraine and wants Bulgaria to be a reliable NATO ally. He also criticized the government for being reluctant to name Russia as the aggressor.

Observers say a Yotova win would keep the presidency in the hands of the ruling majority, a concentration of power that could weaken institutional checks and balances.

FYI

Yotova became acting president earlier this year when Rumen Radev, the previous head of state, resigned to lead his party to victory in the general election. As vice president, she took over the post automatically. Gyurov signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv while serving as caretaker prime minister.

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