Bulgaria Heads to a Presidential Runoff
President Iliana Yotova, who favors dialogue with Moscow, and Andrey Gyurov, a former caretaker prime minister backed by pro-Western parties, will meet in a November 1 runoff after a first round with record-low turnout.
Bulgaria's presidential election goes to a runoff between President Iliana Yotova and Andrey Gyurov, a former caretaker prime minister supported by the pro-Western opposition. Parallel counts by polling agencies put the two within a few points of each other and disagreed on the order: Alpha Research had Yotova at 34.6% and Gyurov at 32.7%, while Market Links had Gyurov ahead, 33.5% to 32.7%. Kostadin Kostadinov of the nationalist Revival party was third with about 12.5%. The Central Election Commission's partial official count, with 17.86% of polling-station protocols processed, had Yotova at 35.5% and Gyurov at 30.5%, according to 24 Chasa.
The runoff is set for November 1. Turnout was about 22%, according to the BGNES news agency, a record low; at 4 p.m. it stood at 15.95%, or about 1.06 million of 6.6 million eligible voters. Twenty-three electronic voting machines broke down, forcing some polling stations onto paper ballots.
The campaign centered on Russia's war in Ukraine, drone attacks on commercial ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, energy prices and inflation. AFP described Yotova as supporting dialogue with Moscow. Bulgaria is a member of NATO and the European Union.
Sofia, Bulgaria — Bulgaria's incumbent president, Iliana Yotova, and challenger Andrey Gyurov will face each other in a runoff after neither came close to a majority in the first round.
The count
Yotova is running with Kiril Valchev as her vice-presidential candidate, and Gyurov with Georgi Kandev. With all of their samples counted, polling agencies disagreed on who finished first. Alpha Research gave Yotova 34.6% and Gyurov 32.7%; the agency Myara had Yotova ahead 35% to 31.9%; Market Links had Gyurov leading, 33.5% to 32.7%. Kostadin Kostadinov and his running mate, Petar Volgin, were third with between 12.4% and 12.6%. The Central Election Commission's official count, still partial, had Yotova ahead with 35.534% to Gyurov's 30.514% and Kostadinov at 13.532% once 17.86% of polling-station protocols were processed, 24 Chasa reported; about 4.6% of voters chose the ballot's option of supporting no one.
Low turnout
The election commission put turnout at 15.95% at 4 p.m., meaning 1,058,669 of 6,637,238 eligible voters had cast ballots by then. BGNES later put final turnout at about 22%, the lowest on record for a Bulgarian presidential election. The commission received four formal complaints and 50 reports of alleged irregularities during the afternoon, and 23 voting machines stopped working.
What the candidates said
Yotova said she voted "for Bulgaria's progress, peace, stability and security" and called for the next president to be a unifying figure. Gyurov said he wanted "a European, free and proud Bulgaria" where wages provide financial security. Yotova's campaign has called on supporters of every party to back her in the runoff.
The stakes
The campaign focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a rise in drone attacks on commercial vessels off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, energy prices and inflation. Bulgaria belongs to NATO and the European Union.