SOFIA — Acting President Iliana Iotova won Bulgaria's presidential runoff election, according to initial results from several polling agencies. Her opponent, former interim Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, conceded defeat.
Iotova received 58 percent of the vote. Gyurov trailed with approximately 38 percent. If official results confirm the outcome, Iotova will become Bulgaria's first elected female head of state.
Gyurov, backed by the pro-Western opposition, said the results must be accepted. "This is how the Bulgarian citizens have voted," he said.
Exit polls showed voter participation for the runoff was between 27 and 29 percent, a slight increase from the first round held last week, which saw record-low turnout of 23 percent. Official results for the largely ceremonial presidency are expected Monday after ballots are fully counted.
Iotova, 61, assumed the role of acting president in January after Prime Minister Rumen Radev resigned to run in and win a parliamentary election. She advocates for dialogue with Russia and opposes military aid to Ukraine.
Gyurov, a banker, criticized Iotova during a television debate for not explicitly blaming Russia for the war in Ukraine. "Russia must stop its aggression so that the next steps can be taken," Gyurov said.
Iotova maintained that "peace can come only through negotiations." After casting her vote, she expressed a desire for "Bulgaria to be strong in a strong Europe" and "sovereign in its decisions."
The election occurred as Bulgaria confronts drone attacks last month on commercial vessels off its Black Sea coast. Twenty-one people remain missing. The incidents are suspected to be spillover from Russia's war on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Radev said the attacks appeared to serve Moscow's interests and summoned the Russian ambassador. His government stated there was no evidence directly linking the attacks to Moscow.
Both presidential candidates condemned the drone attacks and called for a diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine.
In the first round of voting last week, Iotova secured 35 percent of the vote, while Gyurov received 32 percent—a considerably narrower gap than the 20-point lead opinion polls had predicted for Iotova.
