In Bulgaria, following the first round of the presidential election held on 25 October, two candidates have emerged for the office of head of state. The second round will see incumbent President Iliana Yotova, who advocates for the resumption of dialogue with Russia, face off against former Prime Minister Andrei Gyurov, known for his support of Ukraine. According to the results of the count of 99.94% ballot papers, Yotova received 34.76% of the vote, whilst Gyurov received 31.94%. The decisive vote will take place on 1 November.<\/p>\n
According to the Bulgarian Central Electoral Commission, after 99.94% of the vote counts had been processed Iliana Yotova<\/strong> received 528,753 votes. According to Andrey Gyurov<\/strong> 485,927 voters cast their votes. The margin between the candidates is 42,826 votes, or 2.82 percentage points.<\/p>\n Third place went to the leader of the pro-Russian \u00abRevival\u00bb party\u00bb Kostadin Kostadinov<\/strong> with a score of 12.54%. The remaining candidates trailed the top three by a considerable margin.<\/p>\n The election campaign was characterised by an extremely low level of voter turnout. According to preliminary estimates, approximately 22% voters took part in the ballot. In total, over 6.6 million citizens were eligible to vote.<\/p>\n Under the Bulgarian Constitution, to win in the first round, a candidate must secure more than half of the valid votes, provided that more than half of the citizens eligible to vote take part in the election. As the necessary conditions have not been met, a run-off vote between the two frontrunners will take place on 1 November.<\/p>\n One of the main political differences between the candidates remains their stance on Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine.<\/p>\n Iliana Yotova, who is acting as President of Bulgaria following the early resignation Rumena Radeva<\/strong> In January 2026, she called for a diplomatic resolution to the war and the resumption of dialogue with Moscow. She also opposed the participation of Bulgarian military personnel in a possible international mission on Ukrainian territory.<\/p>\n Yotov is supported by Prime Minister Rumen Radev\u2019s ruling \u00abProgressive Bulgaria\u00bb party and the Bulgarian Socialist Party.<\/p>\n Her rival, Andrey Gyurov, represents the pro-European political camp. He has received the support of opposition groups, including \u00abLet\u2019s Continue the Change\u00bb, \u00abYes, Bulgaria\u00bb and \u00abDemocrats for a Strong Bulgaria\u00bb.<\/p>\n Gyurov has already made his position on Ukraine clear whilst serving as acting Prime Minister. On 30 March 2026, during a visit to Kyiv, he signed a ten-year security cooperation agreement with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.<\/p>\n The document provides for the continuation of military aid to Ukraine, cooperation in the defence industry \u2013 in particular, the joint production of drones and ammunition \u2013 as well as the strengthening of energy security.<\/p>\nHow do Yotova\u2019s and Gyurov\u2019s positions on Ukraine differ?<\/h2>\n
Why the elections matter for Ukraine<\/h2>\n