The second round of the presidential election in Bulgaria began on Sunday, November 1. The race is between the current incumbent Iliana Yotova and pro-Ukrainian former Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov.
This is reported by the Bulgarian public broadcaster BNT.
Polling stations opened at 07:00 and will remain open until 20:00. More than 6.5 million people are eligible to vote. In total, more than 9 000 polling stations equipped with electronic voting machines operate across the country.
Another 613 polling stations were opened abroad in 60 countries. The largest number were in the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Germany.
The first round was held on 25 October. Just over 22% of voters cast their ballots, a record low turnout in Bulgaria, and neither candidate received enough support to win. Yotova received 34.75% of the vote, while Gyurov received 31.95%.
Iliana Yotova, who was previously Bulgariaʼs vice president and became the countryʼs interim president after Rumen Radev resigned in January, does not support military aid to Ukraine and advocates for an immediate ceasefire. At the same time, she does not directly criticize Russia for its aggression and advocates for dialogue with Moscow.
Gyurov, on the other hand, adheres to a clear pro-Western position and supports Ukraine. In particular, in March, during a visit to Kyiv as Prime Minister, he signed a security agreement between Bulgaria and Ukraine with Volodymyr Zelensky.
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