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Bulgaria’s acting President Iliana Iotova declared victory Sunday in the presidential runoff after unofficial results showed her defeating challenger Andrey Gyurov by a wide margin.
According to unofficial results broadcast by Bulgarian National Television, Alpha Research put Iotova at 57.4% of the vote, compared with 39.6% for Gyurov.
Parallel counts from five major polling agencies placed Iotova between 56.6% and 58.2%, while Gyurov received between 38.6% and 40.6%.
Iotova and vice presidential candidate Kiril Valchev declared victory at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia alongside Prime Minister Rumen Radev.
“I sincerely thank everyone who supported us, on behalf of myself and the vice presidential candidate, now Vice President-elect Mr. Valchev,” Iotova said.
She added that Gyurov had called to congratulate her.
Gyurov conceded defeat, saying: “We accept the results, no matter how surprising they are.”
Iotova increased her support from the first round, when she received 34.76% compared with Gyurov’s 31.95%.
Her campaign opposed additional arms support for Ukraine and instead called for peace through diplomacy.
Gyurov, a former deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, warned during the campaign that a Iotova victory could leave the country without a strong political counterweight because Progressive Bulgaria already controls the government.
He also criticized reduced support for Ukraine and what he described as slow coordination with NATO and EU partners.
The presidential election followed April’s parliamentary vote, in which Progressive Bulgaria, led by former President Radev, won 131 of the National Assembly’s 240 seats.
Iotova previously served as Radev’s vice president and assumed the presidency on Jan. 23, 2026, after his resignation.
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Valchev thanked voters for their support and said one of his main responsibilities would be representing citizens and serving as a guarantor of democracy.
Radev congratulated Iotova and Valchev and said he believed Iotova would be “a president worthy of the country” during difficult times.
Iotova, born in Sofia in 1964, previously worked at Bulgarian National Television, served in parliament and was a member of the European Parliament before becoming vice president in 2017.
Valchev, born in Sofia in 1973, has worked in journalism, law and academia and has served as director general of the Bulgarian News Agency since 2021.
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