Bulgaria's presidential election is set to move to a runoff after no candidate ticket managed to secure more than 50 percent of the vote in the initial round. Unofficial results provided by the polling agency Alpha Research and reported by Bulgarian National Television (BNT) indicate that incumbent President Iliana Yotova and her running mate, Kiril Valchev, garnered 34.6 percent of the vote. Former prime minister Andrey Gyurov and his vice-presidential partner, Georgi Kandev, secured 32.7 percent. Voter turnout for the event was recorded at 22.5 percent.
Data from another polling agency, Myara, presented similar results, placing Yotova at 35 percent and Gyurov at 31.9 percent, with a reported turnout of 22.2 percent. The two top candidates are now scheduled to face each other in a runoff election on November 1.
Following the closure of the polls, President Yotova addressed the media, expressing her concern regarding the low voter turnout. She thanked those who participated in the process and those who supported her campaign. "Thinking that we can change anything in the country without voting is an illusion," Yotova stated. She emphasized that her campaign would focus on engaging more decisively with all Bulgarian citizens and argued that the nation requires stable governance rather than alliances formed between various political parties.
Challenging the incumbent, Gyurov invited Yotova to participate in a public debate before the November 1 runoff. He suggested that Bulgaria needs a president who acts to unite rather than divide the populace. "I invite Yotova to an open, honest and civilised debate to present our views on how we would exercise our powers and how we would act when Bulgaria faces difficult choices," Gyurov said.
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