Bulgaria presidential election moves to run off after low turnout

Bulgaria’s presidential election is heading to a second round after no candidate passed the necessary threshold to win outright on Sunday. Al Jazeera reported that incumbent President Iliana Yotova will face former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov in a run-off scheduled for November 1. [1]

Exit polls cited by Al Jazeera showed President Yotova secured between 35 and 36.5 percent of the vote. Andrey Gyurov received between 31 and 33.5 percent. Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev stated that the election took place peacefully and without the usual practices of vote buying or manipulation. [1]

The vote comes during an extended period of political instability for the nation. Parliamentary elections were held in April 2026 to elect 240 members of the National Assembly after the resignation of the Zhelyazkov government in December 2025 following widespread anti-corruption protests. That contest marked the country's seventh snap election since April 2021. [2]

Voters now face a decisive choice next week in the runoff between Yotova and Gyurov. The election takes place against a backdrop of ongoing public concern over political corruption, the cost of living, foreign electoral interference, and vote buying. [1][2]