Bulgaria heads to vote as incumbent Iotova faces former premier Gyurov

On 25 October, Bulgarians will cast ballots in a presidential election that pits incumbent Iliana Iotova against former interim prime minister Andrei Gyurov. Iotova, a 62-year-old former journalist and MEP, took over the presidency in January 2026 after Rumen Radev stepped down to run in parliamentary elections; she now runs as an independent backed by the centre-left Bulgaria Progressive coalition and the Socialist Party.

Gyurov, an economist and ex-vice governor of the central bank, is supported by a pro-Western reformist opposition and is seen as the most viable challenger in a potential second round. With 27 candidates on the ballot, a first-round win requires a majority and at least 50 % voter turnout, which recent estimates suggest may fall short, likely triggering a runoff on 1 November. The campaign is shaped by Bulgaria’s historic cultural links to Russia, its NATO and EU membership, and recent drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea that have caused casualties.