Sofia, 02 November (H.S.): Bulgaria’s acting President and veteran Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) politician Iliana Iotova has won the second round of the country’s presidential election, securing a decisive victory over her rival, acting Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov. The Central Election Commission (CEC) officially announced the results on Monday after completing the processing of 100 per cent of the election protocols.

Iotova secured 57.57 per cent of the total votes, while Gyurov received 39.48 per cent.

According to Russian news agency RIA Novosti and Türkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency, exit polls released ahead of the election had also projected a clear victory for Iotova. Estimates from five major polling agencies had placed her expected vote share between 56.6 and 58.2 per cent, while Gyurov was projected to receive between 38.6 and 40.6 per cent.

Gyurov conceded defeat after the initial election trends indicated that he was trailing his opponent. Addressing a press conference in Sofia, he said, “We accept the results, however surprising they may be.” He added that although the election campaign was coming to an end, the responsibility towards the country remained.

During her campaign, Iotova emphasised the need for a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine. She opposed providing further weapons to Ukraine and advocated ending the conflict through peace negotiations. In the first round of voting, Iotova had secured 34.76 per cent of the votes, compared with 31.95 per cent for Gyurov. She subsequently converted her lead into a decisive victory in the runoff.

In contrast, Gyurov advocated stronger cooperation with the European Union and NATO, as well as continued support for Ukraine. He also raised concerns over Iotova’s positions on security and foreign policy.

Iotova had previously served as Vice President under Rumen Radev. Following Radev’s resignation in January, she assumed the responsibilities of acting President. In the parliamentary elections held in April, the Progressive Bulgaria party led by Radev secured a clear majority, winning 131 of the 240 seats in the National Assembly. The party had also backed Iotova’s presidential candidacy.

During the election campaign, differences between the two candidates over the European Union, NATO and the war in Ukraine emerged as major issues. Gyurov had alleged that a victory for Iotova and the political forces supporting her could weaken the balance of power in the country. He criticised her position on limiting military assistance to Ukraine and what he described as a slower alignment with NATO and European Union partners.

Iotova, meanwhile, maintained that diplomacy and the pursuit of peace should remain the priority in addressing the Ukraine conflict.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar