Bulgarians head to the polls on Sunday, 25 October, in a presidential election shaped by Russia’s war against Ukraine, growing insecurity in the Black Sea and debate over the country’s foreign-policy direction.
Twenty-seven candidate pairs are on the ballot. Incumbent President Iliana Iotova and former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov are considered the leading contenders, although opinion polls differ on the size of Iotova’s advantage. Iotova, backed by the governing Progressive Bulgaria coalition, favours a diplomatic end to the war, while Gyurov has advocated closer cooperation with Ukraine and Western partners.
The campaign has been overshadowed by drone attacks on merchant vessels near Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast that are believed to have killed around two dozen international seafarers. Sofia has not directly blamed Russia, but the incidents have intensified calls to strengthen maritime security.
Polling stations are scheduled to open at 7 a.m. local time and close at 8 p.m. A candidate must secure a majority to win in the first round; if no one does so, a runoff is planned for 1 November. A victory for Iotova would make her Bulgaria’s first elected female president.
Symbolic image: Roaming Pictures / Unsplash
