---
title: "Bulgarian Presidential Runoff: Yotova vs. Gyurov — Course on Ukraine and Relations with Moscow at Stake"
description: "Bulgaria holds a presidential runoff on November 1: incumbent Head of State Iliana Yotova competes against former interim Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov. The course on Ukraine and relations with Moscow are at stake."
date: 2026-11-01T07:54:28.682Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/bulgaria-presidential-runoff-yotova-gyurov
tags: [bulgaria, presidential-elections, ilyana-yotova, andrey-gyurov, ukraine, russia]
author: "Alexander Buran"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Bulgarian Presidential Runoff: Yotova vs. Gyurov — Course on Ukraine and Relations with Moscow at Stake

![Iliana Yotova and Andrey Gyurov in the Bulgarian presidential runoff election](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/01/bolgariya-vtoroy-tur-vyborov-prezidenta-yotova-gyurov/bolgariya-vtoroy-tur-vyborov-prezidenta-yotova-gyurov-1.webp)

## Key Points

- On November 1, 2026, Bulgaria is holding a presidential runoff between incumbent President Iliana Yotova and former interim Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov.
- In the first round on October 25, none of the 27 tickets won a majority: Yotova got 34.76%, Gyurov got 31.95%; turnout was low (around 22% according to RFI).
- The candidates differ significantly on Ukraine and Russia: Gyurov supported Kyiv and signed a ten-year security deal, while Yotova is linked to Radev's course and did not blame the Kremlin for drone attacks.
- The Bulgarian president's role is largely ceremonial, so the result does not mean an automatic foreign policy shift, though it affects the political balance.

On Sunday, November 1, 2026, Bulgarian citizens are deciding the country's president in a runoff vote. About 6.6 million voters have the right to cast a ballot, with polling stations open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM local time, and hours can be extended if necessary, but no later than 9:00 PM — the same rules apply to polling stations abroad. The runoff features incumbent Head of State Iliana Yotova and former interim Prime Minister and ex-central bank deputy governor Andrey Gyurov. The Central Election Commission must announce the final results of the presidential and vice-presidential elections within three days after the vote.

### First Round: Low Turnout and Two Frontrunners

The first round of the presidential election took place on October 25, 2026, featuring 27 pairs of presidential and vice-presidential candidates. According to the voting results, the Iliana Yotova and Kiril Valchev ticket won 34.76% of the vote, while their closest competitor, Andrey Gyurov running with Georgiy Kandev, secured 31.95%. Since neither ticket obtained the required majority to win in the first round, the race moved to a second round. According to French radio station RFI, turnout in the first round was extremely low at around 22%, which itself became one of the campaign's notable features.

### Two Candidates and Two Political Orbits

Iliana Yotova is 62 years old, a journalist by training, a former Member of the European Parliament, and served for nine years as vice president under President Rumen Radev. Her political trajectory is closely tied to Radev himself, who took over the government after winning the April parliamentary elections; a convincing result for Yotova in the elections could strengthen the prime minister's position. Andrey Gyurov is 50 years old, a former lawmaker backed by an alliance of pro-Western parties running on an anti-corruption platform. In February, the incumbent president appointed him interim prime minister, tasking him with organizing the general elections.

### Main Divergence: Position on Ukraine and Russia

The key difference between the candidates lies in their approach to Moscow and the war in Ukraine. Rumen Radev, with whom Yotova is aligned, opposes providing military aid to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia, while calling on the EU to resume relations with Moscow. Yotova herself refused to blame the Kremlin for recent drone attacks in the Black Sea, citing a lack of evidence, and called for a moratorium on such attacks without specifying how to enforce it. Gyurov, by contrast, consistently supported Ukraine during his tenure as interim prime minister and signed a ten-year security cooperation agreement with Kyiv — a step that became one of the campaign's most prominent markers.

### What the Outcome Will Change: Ceremonial Role and Political Balance

The role of the Bulgarian president is predominantly ceremonial: the head of state holds veto power, but parliament can override it with a majority vote. Therefore, the outcome of the runoff does not mean an automatic shift in the country's foreign policy course, but it could influence the domestic political balance and public discussions on support for Ukraine. The voting results will be announced within three days after November 1, when the Central Election Commission tallies the final results.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [В Болгарии стартовал второй тур выборов: на кону поддержка Украины и влияние РФ](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/bolgariyi-startuvav-drugiy-tur-viboriv-konu-1793519448.html) - Primary source: round dates, first round results (34.76% / 31.95%), number of voters (~6.6 million), voting hours, candidate biographies and positions, ceremonial role of the president.
- [Выборы президента Болгарии: во второй тур вышли выступающая за диалог с Москвой президент и ...](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0/20261026-%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%8B-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B0-%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%B2%D0%BE-%D0%B2%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B9-%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80-%D0%B2%D1%8B%D1%88%D0%BB%D0%B8-%D0%B2%D1%8B%D1%81%D1%82%D1%83%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%8E%D1%89%D0%B0%D1%8F-%D0%B7%D0%B0-%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B3-%D1%81-%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82-%D0%B8-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9-%D1%8D%D0%BA%D1%81-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BC%D1%8C%D0%B5%D1%80) - Confirms the lack of a first-round winner and extremely low turnout (~22%), as well as the characterization of candidate positions.

## FAQ

### When and who is competing in the Bulgarian presidential runoff?

The runoff takes place on November 1, 2026. It features incumbent President Iliana Yotova and former interim Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov. Voting runs from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM, extendable until 9:00 PM if necessary.

### What were the results of the first round?

Following the October 25, 2026 first round, the Yotova-Valchev ticket won 34.76% of the vote, and Gyurov-Kandev won 31.95%. None of the 27 tickets won a majority, necessitating a runoff.

### What is the main difference between the candidates?

Their approach to Ukraine and Russia. Gyurov supported Ukraine as interim PM and signed a ten-year security agreement with Kyiv. Yotova is tied to PM Radev's course, which opposes military aid to Ukraine and sanctions, and she did not blame the Kremlin for recent Black Sea drone attacks.

### Will the winner change the country's foreign policy course?

Not automatically. The Bulgarian president's role is mostly ceremonial, and presidential vetoes can be overridden by parliament. However, the outcome will impact the political balance and public discussions on supporting Ukraine.