Bulgaria Runoff: Yotova Projected to Lead Rival Andrei Gurov

Sofia, November 2: Bulgaria's sitting president, Iliana Yotova, is projected to lead in the second round of the presidential election held on Sunday. Exit polls indicate she holds a substantial advantage over former acting prime minister Andrei Gurov.

The first projection shows Yotova taking 52.5 percent of the vote, against 43.4 percent for Gurov. Roughly 4.1 percent of voters indicated they would support none of the candidates.

A separate projection also favors Yotova, with 51.1 percent estimated for her and 44.6 percent for Gurov. In that survey, 4.3 percent of respondents said they backed no candidate.

Final official results are due by Wednesday. As per Bulgaria's constitution, the candidate with the most votes is elected president. The head of state is chosen directly by voters and serves a single five-year term.

About 6.6 million people were expected to cast ballots in the runoff.

Yotova, aged 62, is contesting alongside Kiril Valchev, who is her vice-presidential candidate. Gurov has named Georgi Kandev as his running mate. Gurov is also an assistant professor at the finance department of the American University in Bulgaria.

Twice elected vice president, in 2016 and 2021, Yotova served under then-president Rumen Radev. When Radev resigned in January this year, she took over the presidency as provided by the constitution.

Before assuming the presidency, she sat on the national council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party from 2000 to 2016. She has also worked in the Bulgarian Parliament and the European Parliament.

In the October 25 first round, Yotova and Valchev led a field of 27 tickets with 34.76 percent of the vote. They enjoy the support of several parties, including the ruling Progressive Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Socialist Party.

Gurov and Kandev placed second in the first round with 31.95 percent. They were backed by We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria, among other parties.