Bulgaria votes in presidential runoff between Iliana Jotowa and Andrey Giurow

Polls open for the runoff

Polling stations in Bulgaria opened at 7:00 local time on Sunday, 1 November, for the second round of the presidential election. The runoff pits the incumbent, Iliana Jotowa, against Andrey Giurow, a 50-year-old economist who served as interim prime minister in early 2026. Polls close at 20:00 local time, which is 19:00 in Poland and Italy. The runoff was necessary because none of the 27 candidates in the first round won an absolute majority. Jotowa is 62 years old and previously served as a member of the European Parliament.

The first round and its aftermath

The first round took place on Sunday, 25 October, and Jotowa finished first with Giurow second. The sources give slightly different decimals for their shares. The Polish report gives 34.7% and 31.9%, the German one gives 34.76% and 31.95%, and Tgcom24 gives 34.75% and 31.95%. Jotowa was backed in that round by the ruling Progressive Bulgaria party and the Socialists, and for the runoff she has also gained the support of pro-Russian nationalists. The Polish report notes that in polling stations abroad Giurow led with 45.7%, while Jotowa placed second with 22.7%, a pattern different from the domestic vote.

What is at stake

Jotowa has campaigned for keeping Bulgaria on its European course while improving relations with Moscow and lifting sanctions on Russia. She has also pushed for a peace settlement in Ukraine through negotiations with Russia, according to newsORF. She is expected to continue the cautious line of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, whose deputy she was before he stepped down as head of state. Giurow, a former central bank vice president, is backed by the opposition pro-European alliance Continuing the Change with Democratic Bulgaria, and he is expected to take a firmer pro-Western line, including closer ties with NATO and more support for Ukraine. A Jotowa victory could keep the presidency in the hands of the governing majority, which could weaken checks and balances in the state.

Cost of living and the government's test

Rising living costs and expensive fuel worry voters in one of the poorest EU countries, according to newsORF. The runoff is seen as a test for the government after half a year in office, because the ruling party directly backs Jotowa. Radev left the presidency in January to take part in parliamentary elections and to end a political crisis in the country. Jotowa, then vice president, took over as head of state and became the first woman to hold the post in the country's history. The president is elected for five years and mainly performs representative functions, and voters cast their ballots for a presidential pair.