Iliana Iotova Wins Bulgaria’s Presidential Election

Reform.news Editorial Team · 2 November 2026, 08:24

https://reform.news/en/iliana-iotova-wins-bulgaria-s-presidential-election/

The second round of Bulgaria’s presidential election was held on Sunday. Acting President Iliana Iotova is winning the vote alongside vice-presidential candidate Kiril Valchev.

According to the Central Election Commission, with 99.68% of ballots processed, Iotova and Valchev received 57.66% of the vote. Their opponents, Andrey Gurov and Georgi Kandev, received 39.38%.

Turnout in the presidential election was 27.2%.

Gyurov conceded defeat and thanked citizens who voted. Iliana Iotova is becoming the country’s first female president. She is described as a politician sympathetic to Russia. Iotova has served as acting president since January 2026, after Rumen Radev resigned to take part in parliamentary elections, following which he became prime minister.

The president of Bulgaria is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. At the same time, the president’s powers are limited. For example, the president has the right to veto legislation passed by parliament, but no more than three times. If parliament passes the same bill four times in a row, it becomes law despite the presidential veto.