Yotova Leads Bulgaria Presidential Runoff With 58% in Parallel Count
Incumbent Iliana Yotova leads Bulgaria’s presidential runoff with 58.2% to Andrey Gyurov’s 38.6%, per Myara’s 100% parallel count. Official results are pending.
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Incumbent President Iliana Yotova leads Bulgaria’s presidential runoff, according to parallel counts by polling agencies. Myara’s count of 100% of protocols gives her 58.2%. Andrey Gyurov has 38.6%.
These are not official figures. Clash Report found no runoff results from Bulgaria’s Central Election Commission (CIK) in the sources it reviewed. Myara put turnout at 27% at 20:00 on Nov. 1.
What the Counts Show
Other agencies agree. Trend gave Yotova 58.1% to 38.9%, while Alpha Research and Market Links gave her 57.4% to 39.6%. Myara says 3.2% chose “I do not support anyone.”
Turnout stayed low, at roughly 27% to 29% in the runoff. The first round on Oct. 25 drew about 23%. Evening exit polls had shown a closer race, near 51% to 44%.
AP says Yotova would be Bulgaria’s first elected female head of state if results are confirmed. She took over in January when Rumen Radev stepped down to run for parliament. Radev is now prime minister and called her “a worthy president.”
Who the Candidates Are
Yotova, 62, is backed by Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Socialist Party, DW reports. She led the first round with 34.76% to Gyurov’s 31.95%, according to CIK.
Gyurov, 50, is a former caretaker prime minister and ex-deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank. He is backed by We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria. GERB fielded no candidate. We Continue the Change leader Asen Vassilev called the result a “red card” for the government.
Ukraine and the Black Sea
Yotova opposes military aid to Ukraine and favors dialogue with Moscow, DW reports. In a TV debate she said “peace can come only through negotiations.” She added that more aid “leads only to more destruction.” She also ruled out Bulgarian soldiers in Ukraine.
Gyurov urged naming Russia over the attacks on shipping in the Black Sea. Bulgaria borders the sea, where a drone exploded near a pipeline in August.
The presidency is largely ceremonial. The president still appoints caretaker governments during political crises and commands the armed forces.
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