Bulgarian Parliament sets presidential election for 25 Oct 2026

Bulgaria presidential election 25 October parliamentary vote machine voting

The National Assembly voted 138 for, 0 against and 7 abstentions to schedule the first round of the presidential and vice‑presidential elections for Sunday 25 October 2026. Parliamentary groups Progressive Bulgaria, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and Revival supported the date; the GERB‑SDS coalition and Democratic Bulgaria did not take part in the vote, while the “Continue the Change” group abstained.

If no candidate secures a majority, a runoff will be held on 1 November 2026, a date that opposition deputies argue coincides with a national holiday. The government maintains the timing was discussed and agreed upon in a parliamentary leaders’ council.

The elections will be conducted mainly by electronic voting machines, with exceptions for polling stations with fewer than 300 voters, mobile ballot boxes, hospitals, care homes, vessels flying the Bulgarian flag and foreign sections with very low turnout. In the same session, deputies approved the parliament’s summer recess from 5 to 23 August 2026.

Entities: Alpha Research · Bulgaria · Bulgarian National Assembly · Bulgarian Parliament · Democratic Bulgaria · Ilya Yotov · Ilya Yotova · Ilyana Yotova · Jordan Ivanov · Petar Vitanov · Petar Vitkov · Progressive Bulgaria

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[○ 1 SOURCE] The 2026 state budget was approved with a deficit of €7.3 billion (‑5.7 %) and a maximum new debt limit of €10.1 billion. (budget approval)
[● 7 SOURCES] The Bulgarian National Assembly set the presidential election date for 25 October 2026. (multiple articles)
[● 7 SOURCES] Machine voting will become the primary method for the presidential election. (multiple articles)
[● 7 SOURCES] If a runoff is necessary, it will be held on 1 November 2026. (multiple articles)
[● 7 SOURCES] President Iliana Yotov's current term ends on 22 January 2027. (multiple articles)
[● 7 SOURCES] The vote on the election date was approved by Progressive Bulgaria, DPS and Revival; PPP abstained, GERB‑SDS and Democratic Bulgaria did not vote. (multiple articles)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Parliament approved new rules for selecting members of the Supreme Judicial Council. (legislative decision)
[● 7 SOURCES] Parliament scheduled its summer recess for early August, officially from 5 to 23 August. (multiple articles)
[● 4 SOURCES] Parliamentary groups Progressive Bulgaria, DPS and Vazrazhdane voted for the date; Continue the Change abstained; Democratic Bulgaria and GERB did not vote. (Parliamentary vote record)
[● 7 SOURCES] The Bulgarian National Assembly voted to schedule presidential and vice‑presidential elections for 25 October 2026. (Parliamentary vote)
[● 2 SOURCES] Opposition deputies claim the election date was chosen to pre‑empt a decline in public support for the government. (Opposition statements)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The election will be primarily conducted by machine voting, with exceptions for polling stations with fewer than 300 voters, mobile ballot boxes, hospitals, care homes, vessels under the Bulgarian旗,和在 (Election code description)