In brief
In Sofia on Nov. 1, voters faced a decision between President Iliana Iotova with Kiril Valchev and challenger Andrey Gurov with Georgi Kandev. The second‑round election follows a first round in which no candidate secured a majority. The result will determine Bulgaria’s head of state for the next term.
On Sunday, November 1, Bulgaria’s voters went to the polls in the second round of its presidential and vice‑presidential elections, choosing between incumbent President Iliana Iotova, paired with Kiril Valchev, and challenger Andrey Gurov, whose running mate was Georgi Kandev.
Nearly 6.6 million eligible voters participated in the runoff, a stark reminder of the country’s broad electoral engagement and the high stakes of the decision.
The first round of the presidential contest, held earlier in the year, produced no majority winner, which set the stage for this decisive face‑off between the two leading candidates.
President Iliana Iotova, who holds the office at the time of the runoff, is on a ticket that pairs her with Kiril Valchev for vice president, while the opposition ticket lists Andrey Gurov for president and Georgi Kandev as his running mate.
The ballot format places the presidential and vice‑presidential candidates together, giving voters a clear choice between the two pairs as a single unit of office‑holders.
Official turnout figures for the runoff have not yet been released, but the turnout is expected to reflect the electorate’s strong engagement with the political process.
While the outcome of the runoff will determine the next president of Bulgaria, the prevailing questions for observers will focus on which candidate can lead the country in the coming term and what policy directions will emerge from the election of a new president and vice president.
