Bulgaria fails to elect president in the first round. The intrigue remains

In Bulgaria, after counting 98.99% of the electoral commission protocols, two candidates have been identified who will compete in the second round of the presidential elections on November 1. These are Iliana Iotova, who is currently serving as interim president, and former head of government Andrei Gyurov, who supports Ukraine.

According to preliminary results, Iotova received 34.699% of the votes, while Gyurov received 31.984%. The difference between them is about 2.72 percentage points.

According to the Constitution of Bulgaria, to win in the first round, a candidate must receive more than half of the valid votes, and more than half of eligible voters must participate in the elections. If no candidate meets these conditions, a second round is held within seven days with the participation of the two candidates who received the most votes.

Iliana Iotova is considered a direct successor to the political course of the current president Rumen Radev. She has been his vice-president since the beginning of his first presidential term in 2017. As "European Truth" notes, Iotova's victory could lead to Radev's forces gaining full control over the executive and legislative branches of power in Bulgaria.

Andrei Gyurov is a former interim prime minister with extensive experience in economics. During his brief tenure as head of government from February 19 to May 8, 2026, he signed an agreement on security cooperation between Bulgaria and Ukraine. Together with Chief Commissioner of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Georgy Kandev, Gyurov also participated in organizing the recent parliamentary elections, which, according to the publication's assessment, were the most transparent in the country in recent years.

Gyurov actively criticizes the authorities for actions that, in his opinion, contradict Ukraine's interests, weaken the unity of the European Union, or favor Russia. Therefore, the candidates' positions regarding the war in Ukraine and relations with the West became one of the important topics of the election campaign.

Although the powers of the Bulgarian president are formally limited, the head of state represents the country on the international arena, with some exceptions, and is the supreme commander-in-chief.

The president also signs decrees on the appointment of the Prosecutor General and heads of the highest courts, appoints an interim prime minister from a limited circle of persons defined by the Constitution, and has the right to veto laws adopted by parliament.

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