Bulgaria presidential vote first round: Yotova wins with 34.8%, margin narrower than expected

Iliana Iotova at the ballot box. Photo: Vassil Donev/Matrix Images/imago

By Barbara Oertel

Bulgaria's next head of state will not be decided until a runoff election next Sunday. After counting 99.9 percent of votes in the first round on Sunday, 34.8 percent went to the ex-socialist incumbent Ilijana Jotowa. She is backed by former President and current Prime Minister Rumen Radew and his party, "Progressive Bulgaria."

Former interim Prime Minister Andrej Gjurow, the candidate of the pro-European opposition camp, finished second with 32 percent. Kostadin Kostadinow, the candidate of the nationalist party Vazrazhdane (Revival), also reached double digits with 12.5 percent. Voter turnout hit a historic low of 22.5 percent (compared to 38.6 percent in 2021).

Polls had shown Jotowa — who advocates dialogue with Moscow and opposes military support for Ukraine — with a significantly larger lead over Gjurow. On Sunday evening, she said her campaign focused on "promoting peace": "I will not allow foreign flags to be waved on our streets. I want to see only Bulgarian flags there." On the extremely low turnout, she remarked: "Those who believe you can change things in this country without going to the polls are mistaken."

Her runoff opponent on November 1, Andrej Gjurow, clearly supports aid to Ukraine. He called on Jotowa to hold an "honest and civilized" televised debate. "We owe that to all the citizens who voted for us, but above all to those who decided to stay home because they are not yet convinced," he said. Now was not the time for celebration. Bulgaria needed an active head of state who could explain his decisions and bring people together rather than divide them.

Possible Surprises Ahead

The second round could well hold further surprises, as it remains unclear whom the previous voters of the far-right Kostadinow will support — if they turn out to vote at all.

Despite its Euroscepticism and pro-Russian stance, the Vazrazhdane party sees itself in opposition to Prime Minister Rumen Radew's government. Against the backdrop of two drone attacks off Bulgaria's coast on October 6 and 13, Radew on Monday framed the runoff as a decision between war and peace. Kostadinow stated that the party would decide — possibly after consulting its supporters — whether to back one of the sides in the second round. Voters, he said, were free in their choice.

Another major unknown is how supporters of the party "Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria" (GERB) of long-serving Prime Minister Boyko Borissov will behave. GERB declined to field its own candidate. According to the Bulgarian polling institute Alpha Research, only 30 percent of traditional GERB voters went to the polls on Sunday.

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