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Bulgaria advances preparations for 2026 presidential elections
Preparations for the Bulgarian presidential elections scheduled for October 25, 2026, are accelerating. The Central Election Commission (CEC) has established a unified nine-digit numbering system for electoral sections across 31 districts, including Sofia and various regional hubs.
Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation Ivan Vasilev has met with the CEC to coordinate technical preparations, focusing on ensuring transparent machine voting and upgrading the CEC mobile application with a voting simulator. The CEC has also adopted an official election timeline.
On the political front, several candidates and coalitions have emerged. President Iliana Yotova is expected to run via an initiative committee with support from Progressive Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). Other confirmed nominations include Nikolay Nanev for president and Tsveta Kirilova for vice president from BZNS, and Radostin Vasilev for president with Krasimir Manov as his running mate from MECH. Discussions continue among right-wing formations regarding a potential joint candidate, with former interim Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov being a prominent name under consideration.
Entities
Andrey Gyorov · Andrey Gyurov · Bulgaria · Central Election Commission · GERB · Georgi Horozov · Iliana Yotova · Iliyana Yotova · Ivan Vasilev · Progressive Bulgaria
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The BZNS party nominated Nikolay Nanev for president and Tsveta Kirilova for vice president. ruse.news
- [○ 1 SOURCE] President Iliana Yotova will run for re-election via an initiative committee with support from Progressive Bulgaria and BSP. ruse.news
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Central Election Commission has adopted a formal timeline for the upcoming presidential elections. www.vesti.bg
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation Ivan Vasilev met with the CEC to coordinate organizational and technical preparations. www.vesti.bg
- [○ 1 SOURCE] CEC Chairman Georgi Horozov stated the goal is to ensure transparent and accurate voting through cooperation with the Ministry of Innovation. www.vesti.bg
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The CEC adopted a decision regarding unified numbering for electoral sections for the October 25, 2026, presidential elections. fakti.bg
- [○ 1 SOURCE] MECH leader Radostin Vasilev announced his candidacy for president with Krasimir Manov as his vice-presidential running mate. ruse.news
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The CEC is working on upgrading its mobile application with a machine voting simulator and verifying technical devices. www.vesti.bg