Iliana Yotova elected President of Bulgaria: 57.66% of votes against 39.38% for her rival

Iliana Yotova secured victory in the second round of the presidential election in Bulgaria. According to the processing of 99.68% of the voting protocols, the candidate received 57.66% of the voters' votes. Her main rival, Andrey Gyuurov, garnered 39.38%. Voting took place on 1 November, and preliminary data became known by the morning of 2 November.

Voting results and rival's reaction

The Central Election Commission of Bulgaria has nearly completed the count. According to information disseminated by Bulgarian National Television, Iliana Yotova, together with vice-presidential candidate Kiril Viltchev, is confidently ahead of the duo Andrey Gyuurov – Georgi Kandev. The gap between the leaders and their pursuers stands at 18.28 percentage points. Additionally, 2.96% of participants in the vote chose the option "I do not support anyone". Currently, these are preliminary results.

Andrey Gyuurov, who was supported by the pro-Western opposition, has already admitted his defeat. At the same time, he drew attention to the discrepancy between the initial estimates and the subsequent count. The former head of the interim government stated that he accepts the choice of Bulgarian citizens.

Significance of the victory for Ukraine

This result is of significant importance for Ukraine, primarily due to the winner's foreign policy views. Iliana Yotova supports the idea of negotiations with Moscow and opposes the continuation of military aid to Kyiv. During the pre-election debates, she claimed that increasing the supply of weapons and funding leads to new destruction and human casualties.

Andrey Gyuurov, conversely, advocated a different approach. In his words, specific actions to curb aggression are necessary to achieve peace. The issue of supporting Ukraine became one of the key points of disagreement between the candidates.

Political context and the presidential office

Iliana Yotova is a long-time ally of Prime Minister Rumen Radev. Previously, she held the position of Vice President, and after his resignation from the presidential chair, she temporarily assumed the powers of the head of state. This victory will allow her to become the first woman elected President of Bulgaria.

It is worth noting that Yotova supports the country's membership in the EU and NATO. Therefore, her position on relations with Russia does not imply a declared refusal to participate in these organisations. The presidential office in Bulgaria is predominantly ceremonial, so the fact of a change in the head of state does not presuppose an immediate change in the entire state policy.

Recall that as early as April, Bulgaria held its eighth parliamentary elections in five years against the backdrop of prolonged political instability. Among the main participants of the campaign was the party "Progressive Bulgaria", associated with Rumen Radev, while relations with Moscow and military support for Ukraine remained contentious issues.