On Sunday, November 1, 2026, the second round of the presidential election took place in Bulgaria. According to the country's Central Election Commission, which by Monday morning (as of 5:00 Kyiv time) had processed 99.56% of the votes, incumbent Head of State Iliana Yotova, running alongside vice-presidential candidate Kiril Vilchev, secured victory. According to the vote count results, 57.69% of voters cast their ballots for this ticket.

Voting Results

Yotova's main opponent was former Prime Minister Andrei Gyurov, running with vice-presidential candidate Georgi Kandev. According to the same CEC data, their result stood at 39.35%. In addition, 2.96% of voters chose the "none of the above" option. The gap between the two main candidate pairs exceeded 18 percentage points, indicating a fairly confident victory for the incumbent president.

Candidates' Positions

As RBC-Ukraine emphasizes, citing the BNT TV channel, Iliana Yotova advocated for dialogue with Russia and against the supply of aid to Ukraine throughout the election campaign. Her rival, Andrei Gyurov, by contrast, positioned himself as a pro-Ukrainian and pro-Western candidate. This specific alignment of political stances determined the nature of the second round and divided the country's electorate into two camps.

Recognition of Results

Following the vote count, Andrei Gyurov acknowledged the election results. "We accept the results as we saw them. This is how the citizens of Bulgaria voted. Nothing was in vain, and the best is yet to come," he stated. The opponent's public admission of defeat removed any grounds for contesting the outcome and effectively cemented Yotova's victory.

Background: Radev's Resignation

The snap election was made possible after the termination of the previous president's powers. As the publication recalls, in January 2026, Rumen Radev, who had served in the post for nearly nine years, announced his resignation, and on January 23, the Constitutional Court officially terminated his powers. Radev became the first head of state to voluntarily leave office before the end of his term. Following this, presidential powers transferred to Vice President Iliana Yotova, who ran for a full term.

Significance of the Result

The incumbent president's victory against the backdrop of her statements favoring dialogue with Russia and criticizing aid to Ukraine could become an important signal for Bulgaria's foreign policy and its position within the EU and NATO. Final official results will be confirmed by the Central Election Commission after the complete vote count.