Bulgaria’s presidential election is heading to a runoff after neither of the two leading candidates won enough support in the first round. Incumbent Iliana Iotova and pro-Western reformist Andrey Gyurov will face each other on November 1, setting up a close contest over the country’s political direction.
The Central Election Commission’s complete count, updated at 3 p.m. on October 26, showed Iotova and her vice-presidential running mate Kiril Valchev with 528,929 votes, or 34.759 percent. Gyurov and Georgi Kandev followed with 486,214 votes, or 31.952 percent. The gap between the two tickets was 42,715 votes.
Far-right candidate Kostadin Kostadinov and his running mate Petar Volgin finished third with 190,894 votes, or 12.545 percent. Another 67,353 voters, equal to 4.426 percent of valid choices recorded by the commission, selected the option supporting none of the candidates.
Low turnout shapes the first-round result
Turnout was around 22 percent, according to reporting by the Associated Press and Reuters. AP described it as a product of widespread distrust in politicians, while Reuters called participation record-low. Bulgaria’s rules require both sufficient turnout and a majority for a first-round victory, conditions the leading candidates did not meet.
Iotova entered the vote as the incumbent after taking over the presidency earlier in 2026. She had previously served as vice president and became head of state when Rumen Radev resigned to compete in the parliamentary election. She is running as an independent but has the backing of Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria and the Socialist Party.
If elected, Iotova would become Bulgaria’s first woman chosen directly as president. Her campaign has supported Bulgaria’s continuing European path while also calling for improved relations with Russia and a diplomatic approach to ending the war in Ukraine.
Gyurov, an economist and former deputy governor of Bulgaria’s central bank, served as caretaker prime minister earlier in 2026. He is supported by pro-Western reformist parties and has argued for a stronger European role for Bulgaria, close cooperation with NATO and continued support for Ukraine.
Why the November 1 runoff matters
The Bulgarian presidency has more limited day-to-day executive authority than the government, but the office remains politically influential. The president represents the country abroad, serves as commander in chief, can return legislation to parliament and plays an important role when governments cannot be formed.
The second round will therefore test whether Iotova can consolidate the support of the governing political camp or whether Gyurov can mobilize voters who want a stronger institutional counterweight. The first-round margin was much narrower than some pre-election expectations, leaving the outcome open.
Supporters of eliminated candidates will be central to the final result. Kostadinov’s voters form the largest available bloc, while those who chose smaller tickets or stayed home could also change the balance if participation rises. The candidates have less than a week to persuade an electorate that largely avoided the first round.
The Central Election Commission’s completed count establishes the first-round totals, but it does not determine the next president. That decision now moves to the November 1 runoff between Iotova–Valchev and Gyurov–Kandev.
