EU
Bulgaria holds presidential runoff between Iotova and Gyurov, turnout at 19.33% by 4 p.m.
Bulgarians are voting today in the second round of the presidential election between incumbent President Iliana Iotova and Andrey Gyurov. According to the Central Election Commission, turnout is higher than at the same hour in the first round.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
November 1, 2026, 18:10 · Updated 19:04 · 2 min read
In brief
- By 4 p.m., 19.33% of voters had cast ballots, about 3.5 percentage points more than in the first round.
- Iotova said she voted for “a strong, sovereign Bulgaria,” Gyurov for a country that is “secure, stable and European.”
- By 2:30 p.m., the Interior Ministry had received a total of 461 reports of suspected violations.
Bulgaria is choosing its president today in a runoff, after the Oct. 25 vote in which no candidate secured victory because of record-low turnout. Incumbent President Iliana Iotova, running with Kiril Valchev, faces Andrey Gyurov, whose running mate is Georgi Kandev. In the first round, according to exit polls, Iotova came first by a narrow margin.
Turnout higher than on Oct. 25
According to Central Election Commission spokeswoman Stoyanka Balova-Tsvetkova, quoted by the BTA news agency, 19.33% of voters had cast ballots by 4 p.m., compared with 15.95% at the same hour in the first round. The highest turnout was recorded in Sofia's 23rd electoral district, at 29.21%, and the lowest in Kardzhali, at 9.84%. By 11 a.m., 6.11% of voters had voted.
The commission had registered 56 complaints, mostly about campaigning and the publication of polls on election day, while the Interior Ministry reported a total of 461 reports of suspected violations by 2:30 p.m. Machine voting was suspended at 21 polling stations: 13 switched to paper ballots and eight continued on another machine.
Calls to turn out
Iotova said she voted for “a strong, sovereign Bulgaria” and urged her opponents to “stop looking for excuses for their defeat.” Gyurov, who voted in Blagoevgrad, said he chose a Bulgaria that is “secure, stable and European.” Prime Minister Rumen Radev described the campaign as “extremely undignified, dirty and dominated by smears,” while GERB leader Boyko Borissov said his party had held no talks on backing either candidate. The first results are expected to start coming in after polling stations close in the evening.
