Iliana Iotova appears as the winner of the second round of the Bulgarian presidential elections held this Sunday, November 1. The exit poll by Market Links for bTV television gives her 50.7% of the vote, compared to 44% for her rival, Andrey Gyurov.
The difference of 6.7 points offers an initial favorable sign for the current president. However, this is an estimate based on interviews with voters, not a percentage of ballots counted. bTV’s election coverage also points in its headline to a victory by Iotova, pending official confirmation.
Iotova comes close to becoming Bulgaria’s first elected woman president
A confirmed victory would make Iotova the first woman elected president of Bulgaria by suffrage. She already holds the head of state since the departure of Rumen Radev, who left the presidency to run in the parliamentary elections.
Her opponent, Andrey Gyurov, was interim prime minister and has the backing of reformist and pro-Western forces. He also received the support of figures from the right such as former prime minister Boiko Borisov.
The result will decide who will serve as president for the next five years. Although Bulgaria has a parliamentary system, the head of state retains significant powers, including supreme command of the Armed Forces and a limited capacity for legislative veto.
Russia and Ukraine have marked the second round
The relationship with Moscow has been one of the main differences between the candidates. Iotova, backed by Progressive Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Socialist Party, has defended negotiations to end the war and has opposed continuing military aid to Ukraine.
Gyurov has maintained a position of support for Kyiv and has called for Russia to end its aggression. The campaign has also taken place amid concern over attacks against merchant ships in the Black Sea.
A victory for Iotova would politically strengthen Prime Minister Radev, who has supported her candidacy. Gyurov aimed to place a figure linked to the reformist opposition in the presidency.
What results are there and what remains to be known
The available reference is the Market Links poll for bTV: 50.7% for Iotova and 44% for Gyurov. These percentages do not amount to final results nor do they allow specific votes to be attributed to each candidacy.
The bTV electoral portal consulted still indicated that no results from the second round had been published. The confirmation corresponds to the tally of the Central Election Commission, which will make it possible to verify whether the lead anticipated by the poll is maintained.
The first round, held on October 25, ended with Iotova ahead of Gyurov by about 2.8 points and turnout of barely 23%. The projected difference now by Market Links would be greater, although the comparison between a counted result and a poll must remain provisional.