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Bulgarian presidential election heads to November 1 runoff

Updated 16 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-10-26 10:32 UTC → 2026-10-26 13:22 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The first round of Bulgaria’s presidential elections has concluded with record-low voter turnout, with participation levels reported between 21% and 24.4%, the lowest in the country in 37 years. Exit polls and parallel counting data indicate a runoff between Iliana Yotova and Andrei Gyurov, scheduled for November 1, after no candidate secured more than 50 percent of the vote. Iliana Yotova, running as an independent with support from Progressive Bulgaria and the Socialist Party, secured between 35% and 36.5% of the vote. She is supported by Prime Minister Rumen Radev and advocates for dialogue with Moscow. She will face former caretaker Prime Minister and economist Andrei Gyurov, who received between 31% and 33.5%. Gyurov is backed by pro-Western, reformist opposition forces. Kostadin Kostadinov of the Resurrección party placed third, receiving between 12.4% and 14.1% of the vote. Key campaign issues included inflation, rising energy costs, and security concerns following drone strikes on ships in the Black Sea. Yotova campaigned on a platform of peace and stability, advocating for a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, while Gyurov emphasized a pro-European future and cooperation with NATO. Technical challenges and irregularities were documented throughout the process. The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) confirmed that approximately 23 voting machines ceased operation, necessitating a shift to paper ballots in regions including Veliko Tarnovo and Gorna Oryahovitsa. In the Haskovo region, power outages affected four polling stations. Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev reported that the process was peaceful, despite 242 signals of violations. Recent reports have highlighted further irregularities, including potential vote buying and an incident in Tsarevo where a local election official was removed for being under the influence of alcohol.

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