Bulgaria heads to a runoff as Iotova wins first round
President Iliana Iotova finished about three points ahead of Andrey Gyurov, and the two will meet in a second round for the presidency.
Bulgaria did not settle its presidency in the first round. Iliana Iotova, who holds the office, finished first with 34.76% of the vote in Sunday's election, but she now faces a second round against Andrey Gyurov, who took 31.95%, according to the Central Election Commission's count with 99.95% of the precinct tallies processed.
Neither cleared the majority the law requires, so the top two advance to a runoff. Iotova, who took office in January, is running with Kiril Valchev; Gyurov, a former caretaker prime minister, is paired with Georgi Kandev. Both ran as citizen-initiative candidacies.
| Candidacy | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Iliana Iotova | 528,782 | 34.76% |
| Andrey Gyurov | 486,099 | 31.95% |
| Kostadin Kostadinov (Vazrazhdane) | 190,828 | 12.54% |
| PP MECh | 70,097 | 4.61% |
| "I don't support anyone" | 67,326 | 4.43% |
| PP Velichie | 57,621 | 3.79% |
Ultranationalist Kostadin Kostadinov of the Vazrazhdane (Revival) party came third. His 12.5% is far behind the two finalists, but his voters could tilt the runoff. There were 27 tickets on the ballot and 6.6 million eligible voters.
Bulgaria belongs to the European Union and NATO, and its presidency is largely ceremonial, with influence over foreign and defense policy. The country has no direct ties to Mexico, but the outcome decides who will represent an EU member in the debate over Ukraine and Russia.
