Bulgarian Presidential Election: Incumbent President Iliana Yotova Leads in Exit Polls

Sofia, November 2 (Daily Kiran) : Incumbent President Iliana Yotova appears to be on track for victory in Bulgaria’s presidential election runoff held on November 2. Exit polls released by Bulgarian National Television indicate that she holds a significant lead over former caretaker Prime Minister Andrei Gurov.

According to Alpha Research’s exit poll, Yotova is expected to receive 52.5 percent of the votes, while Gurov is projected to garner 43.4 percent. Additionally, 4.1 percent of voters opted for the choice of “none of the above.”

A survey by the Myara Sociology Agency also shows Yotova in the lead, estimating she will receive 51.1 percent of the votes compared to Gurov’s 44.6 percent. In this survey, 4.3 percent of respondents did not support any candidate.

Official election results are set to be announced by Wednesday. Under Bulgarian law, the candidate with the highest number of votes wins the presidency. The election is conducted directly by the public, and the presidential term lasts five years.

According to Xinhua News Agency, approximately 6.6 million voters were expected to participate in the second round of voting.

The 62-year-old Yotova is running alongside Kiril Valchev as her vice-presidential candidate, while Gurov has chosen Georgi Kandev as his running mate. Gurov is also an assistant professor in the finance department at the American University in Bulgaria.

Yotova was elected vice president twice, in 2016 and 2021, serving alongside former President Rumen Radev. Following Radev’s resignation in January this year, she assumed the presidency according to the provisions of the Bulgarian Constitution.

Before her presidency, Yotova was a member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party’s National Council from 2000 to 2016. She has also served in both the Bulgarian Parliament and the European Parliament.

In the first round of voting on October 25, the Yotova-Valchev ticket received 34.76 percent of the votes, placing them first among 27 candidate pairs. They have the backing of several parties, including the ruling Progressive Bulgaria Party and the Bulgarian Socialist Party.

Meanwhile, the Gurov-Kandev ticket secured second place with 31.95 percent of the votes, supported by parties such as We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria.