Exit polls put Bulgaria’s incumbent presidential ticket below the threshold for a first-round win, while turnout stood at 16.04% by 10 a.m. ET Sunday, pointing toward a Nov. 1 runoff.
Myara’s exit poll put the ticket led by incumbent President Iliana Yotova at 35.6% and former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov’s at 32.5%. Alpha Research estimated 35.3% for Yotova and 32.4% for Gyurov. Market Links gave them 32.2% and 31.6%, respectively. All three placed the same two tickets first and second, though their estimates showed different margins.
Stoyanka Balova, spokesperson for Bulgaria’s Central Election Commission (CEC), said 16.04% of eligible voters had cast ballots by 10 a.m. ET (14:00 UTC) on Oct. 25. That was 8.08 percentage points below the turnout at the same point in the 2021 presidential election. The figure is an interim count, not final nationwide turnout.
Article 93 of Bulgaria’s Constitution sets two conditions for a first-round victory: a ticket must receive more than half of valid votes, and more than half of eligible voters must participate. The exit-poll estimates put both leading tickets below half of the vote, pointing to a second round.
Russia’s war in Ukraine and Bulgaria’s relations with Moscow were campaign issues, Deutsche Welle reported. The outlet said Yotova favors diplomacy with Moscow and opposes sending military aid to Ukraine. Gyurov has emphasized Bulgaria’s Western alliances and signed a security cooperation agreement with Ukraine while serving as caretaker prime minister, DW reported.
The Associated Press reported that Yotova called for “peace through negotiations, rather than force.” At a campaign event, Gyurov said Bulgaria should have “a voice of its own in Europe,” AP reported.
The president serves a five-year term, is commander-in-chief and can return legislation for reconsideration. The CEC said it would announce official results and identify the tickets advancing to a runoff within 48 hours of election day. A second round is scheduled for Nov. 1 if required.
