{"id":11216,"date":"2026-10-25T03:35:40","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T03:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=11216"},"modified":"2026-10-25T03:35:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T03:35:40","slug":"bulgarians-vote-for-president-in-shadow-of-russias-war-in-ukraine-elections-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=11216","title":{"rendered":"Bulgarians vote for president in shadow of Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine | Elections News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The two leading candidates condemn recent deadly Black Sea drone strikes but differ on the Ukraine war more broadly.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Published On 25 Oct 2026<\/span>25 Oct 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Bulgarians are voting in a presidential election amid the spread of Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine to the waters off Bulgaria\u2019s Black Sea coast.<\/p>\n

Ahead of Sunday\u2019s vote, President Iliana Iotova, 61, and ex-caretaker Prime \u2060Minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, were leading a field of 27 candidates in the polls.<\/p>\n

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\u2060The presidency is a largely ceremonial post in Bulgaria. While major policies must be approved by Parliament, direct election gives the president greater political authority. The president leads the armed forces and can veto legislation, sign international treaties and appoint ambassadors.<\/p>\n

The election has also gained attention after a series of drone attacks<\/a> on merchant ships off Bulgaria\u2019s coast that likely killed some two dozen international seafarers.<\/p>\n

The drone strikes \u200csparked international condemnation and concerns about the growing reach of the war in Ukraine, prompting Bulgaria to seek allied assistance<\/a> to bolster its maritime security.<\/p>\n

The Bulgarian government has stopped short of explicitly blaming Russia for the attacks, but Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the outcome of the strikes \u201cbenefits the Russian Federation\u201d.<\/p>\n

Relations with Russia, West at stake<\/h2>\n

The two leading candidates for president have both condemned the strikes, but they differ on the broader war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Gyurov, who served as caretaker prime minister this year, is backed by \u2060pro-Western, reformist parties and has long expressed support for Ukraine. He \u2060signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv during his time as premier.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want Bulgaria to have a voice of its own in Europe, a reliable NATO ally that defends its interests through preparedness, strong diplomacy and \u2060a clear position,\u201d he said at a rally on Thursday.<\/p>\n

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This photo, released by the Bulgarian Interior Ministry, shows the ship Chelsea 3 during a rescue operation near Byala, Bulgaria, on October 13, 2026, after it was hit by drones [Bulgarian Interior Ministry via AP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Iotova, a former vice president, became acting president in January after Radev resigned to \u2060enter the parliamentary race, which he won on what many \u2060political analysts considered a Kremlin-friendly ticket.<\/p>\n

Radev supports Iotova, and they both call for a diplomatic end to the war.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy opponents argue that there must be \u200ca war of attrition,\u201d Iotova told a rally on Thursday. \u201cThe truth is, we are all the ones who are most exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n

While there is a broad consensus among the parties in Parliament on the country\u2019s pro-Western path, widespread pro-Russian sentiments based on traditional historical and cultural ties with Russia have divided society, particularly since the start of Moscow\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Dobromir Zhivkov, managing director of the Market Links polling agency, said Iotova is among those who advocate that Bulgaria take a more neutral position.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey call for an end to aid for Ukraine and a halt to arms deliveries to Ukraine; we often hear them use Kremlin rhetoric and terminology borrowed directly from Kremlin propaganda,\u201d he told The Associated Press news agency earlier this week.<\/p>\n

Run-off vote expected<\/h2>\n

Candidates are also addressing public fears about the steep rise in energy prices and surging inflation, with many Bulgarians in rural areas struggling to make ends meet.<\/p>\n

Polls by Alpha Research give Iotova 41 percent of the vote and \u200cGyurov \u200c28 percent.<\/p>\n

Voting starts at 7am (05:00 GMT), and polls close at 8pm (18:00 GMT).<\/p>\n

Analysts expect none of the 27 candidates to secure the outright majority needed to win in the first round, however.<\/p>\n

Turnout must also be above 50 percent of the 6.6 million registered voters, and Sunday\u2019s turnout is expected to be less than 40 percent, which means a likely run-off on November 1.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The two leading candidates condemn recent deadly Black Sea drone strikes but differ on the Ukraine war more broadly. Published On 25 Oct 202625 Oct 2026 Bulgarians are voting in a presidential election amid the spread of Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine to the waters off Bulgaria\u2019s Black Sea coast. Ahead of Sunday\u2019s vote, President Iliana…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t