In brief
On November 1, Bulgaria held the second round of its presidential and vice‑presidential election, pitting incumbent Iliana Iotova against newcomer Andrey Gurov. Despite 415 reported violations—mostly vote‑buying—yields, the run‑off proceeded peacefully, with exit polls due at 8:00 p.m. and official results expected by Wednesday.
On Sunday, November 1, Bulgarians shot ballot papers in a peaceful run‑off for President and Vice President, according to Xinhua and the Interior Ministry. The election pits incumbent President Iliana Iotova, accompanied by Kiril Valchev, against challenger Andrey Gurov, whose running mate is Georgi Kandev.
Iotova and Valchev, backed by the ruling Progressive Bulgaria party and the Bulgarian Socialist Party, captured 34.76 percent of the votes in the first round on October 25. Gurov and Kandev, supported by We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria, finished second with 31.95 percent.
Exit polls are scheduled to be released at 8:00 p.m. local time, and official results will be announced by Wednesday, Xinhua reported.
The Interior Ministry said the voting started without major incidents. By 8 a.m., the ministry had received 415 reports of election‑legislation violations, with 305 relating to vote‑buying, 34 to unlawful campaigning, and 75 covering other infractions, BTA noted.
Eight criminal proceedings were initiated by regional directorates, and 1,822 warning notices were issued nationwide. The ministry also carried out 346 specialized police operations to safeguard voters’ rights and detained ten individuals under its authority.
Despite the extensive monitoring, BTA described the day at the ballot boxes as calm, with all polling stations opened and handed over as scheduled. Official counts will ultimately decide whether Iotova can secure a second term.
