On October 25, the first round of presidential elections is taking place in Bulgaria, with the main rivals being Iliana Iotova, who is temporarily acting as president, and ex-Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, writes "European Pravda".
Polling stations opened at 7:00 AM local time. Voting will continue until 8:00 PM, with a possible extension until 9:00 PM if voters are still queuing.
The favorite in the elections is the incumbent president Iliana Iotova, who took office this year after the current Prime Minister Rumen Radev resigned to participate in the parliamentary elections that brought him to power.
Iotova is a direct follower of Radev's political views and governing style. She was his vice president since his first term in 2017 and remained loyal to the former leader even after his resignation in January 2026.
Her main opponent is Andrey Gyurov, the former head of government. He has extensive experience in economics and, during his short tenure, signed a security agreement between Bulgaria and Ukraine, and also, together with Chief Commissioner of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Georgy Kandev, conducted the most transparent parliamentary elections in the country in recent years. Gyurov actively criticizes the authorities when they take anti-Ukrainian steps, undermine EU unity, or support the Russian Federation.
The leader of the pro-Russian ultranationalist party "Vazrazhdane" (Revival), Kostadin Kostadinov, was in third place in pre-election polls.
If no candidate secures an absolute majority of votes in the first round, a second round is scheduled for November 1.
Iotova and Gyurov are widely considered the most likely contenders to advance to the second round.
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