Yotova wins Bulgarian presidential runoff by clear margin
Ukraine policy and Bulgaria’s relations with the EU and NATO dominated the campaign.
Bulgaria’s acting President Iliana Yotova is heading for a decisive victory in Sunday’s presidential runoff, securing a clear lead over pro-Western challenger Andrey Gyurov, according to exit polls.
Completed parallel counts by five major polling agencies put Yotova’s share of the vote between 56.6% and 58.2%, compared with 38.6% to 40.6% for Gyurov.
The defeated candidate acknowledged the results during a press conference in Sofia.
“We accept the results, no matter how surprising they are,” Gyurov said, adding that although the campaign was ending, political responsibility remained.
Yotova, a longtime member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), significantly improved on her first-round performance, when she received 34.76% of the vote against Gyurov’s 31.95%.
Her campaign focused on opposing additional military assistance to Ukraine and advocating a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
The election follows April’s parliamentary vote, in which Progressive Bulgaria, led by former President Rumen Radev, secured 131 of the National Assembly’s 240 seats, giving it an outright majority.
Yotova, who previously served as Radev’s vice president, assumed the acting presidency after his resignation in January. Progressive Bulgaria backed her bid for a full five-year presidential mandate.
Gyurov, a former deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, had warned that a Yotova victory could concentrate political power in the hands of the governing camp, weakening institutional checks and balances.
Foreign policy and national security were central points of disagreement between the candidates. Gyurov criticized the government's reduced support for Ukraine and what he described as slow coordination with NATO and European Union partners.
He argued that Bulgaria's approach risked weakening its position within the alliance and leaving the country more exposed on NATO's eastern flank.
Yotova's projected victory marks a significant political development for Bulgaria, with the country's approach to Ukraine, European security and relations with Western allies expected to remain central issues during her presidency.
Source:AA
