Incumbent President Heading Toward Election Victory in Bulgaria

 

TT

 

Published 19.38

 

President and presidential candidate Iliana Iotova speaks with journalists after casting her vote in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. Photo: Bulgarian News Agency/AP/TT

President Iliana Iotova appears set to win the election in Bulgaria. According to two exit polls, Iotova is receiving between 51 and 53 percent of the vote.

Iliana Iotova—who advocates for dialogue with Russia and opposes military support for Ukraine—would thus win the second round of the election, in which she faced the more pro-Western Andrej Gyurov, who supports an increased NATO presence in the Black Sea. According to the polls, he is receiving around 44 percent of the vote.

According to the public broadcaster BNT, just over 4 percent of voters selected the option "None of the above."

The presidential election has centered primarily on economic hardship and the war in Ukraine.

A series of drone attacks against vessels in the Black Sea has fueled the debate regarding the war and the security situation ahead of the election for the largely ceremonial Bulgarian presidency.