Bulgaria's incumbent President Jotova is ahead in the runoff election

Vote in Bulgaria Incumbent President Jotova wins runoff election As of: November 2nd, 2026 • 10:57 a.m

Bulgaria's incumbent Yotova has won the runoff election for the presidency after all votes were counted. Challenger Gyurov ended up in second place. Jotova belongs to the camp of Prime Minister Radev, who is considered to be Russia-friendly.

Bulgarian President Ilijana Yotova has clearly won the runoff election for the highest state office in the EU and NATO country. This emerges from the official results published by the Central Election Commission (ZIK) after counting all election protocols in Sofia.

According to the information, Jotowa came in first place with 57.5 percent of the votes. Challenger Andrei Gyurov came in second as a candidate from the pro-Western liberal-conservative opposition camp with 39.4 percent.

According to the post-election surveys, voter turnout was around 27 to 29 percent, slightly higher than in the first round on October 25, when it reached a historic low of 23 percent.

Jotova is the first woman to be elected president in Bulgaria. She assumed the office automatically because of her previous role as vice president after previous President Rumen Radev resigned this year. Radev is now prime minister.

Jotova ran as an independent candidate, but she belongs to the camp of Prime Minister Radev, who is considered pro-Russia. His center-left party had expressed its support for her. The 62-year-old supports her country's EU and NATO membership, but rejects military aid for Ukraine. During the election campaign, she presented herself as a “president of peace” who wanted to enter into a dialogue with Moscow.

The election took place against the backdrop of drone attacks off the Bulgarian coast. According to authorities, at least six merchant ships have been attacked there by drones in the past few weeks. This fueled concerns in the EU and NATO country about an expansion of the war in Ukraine.

Ships off Bulgaria's coast were again attacked by drones. more

Jotova's challenger Gyurov was formerly deputy head of the central bank and was temporarily prime minister this year. Gyurov has often made it clear that he stands firmly behind Ukraine.

In the Bulgarian political system, the head of state has primarily representative tasks. However, it can veto laws and is the commander in chief of the armed forces. The newly elected president is scheduled to take office on January 22nd.

This topic in the program: NDR Info | News | 11/01/2026 | 8:30 p.m