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Bulgaria's presidential vote heads to November 1 run-off on low turnout

Preliminary counts show Iliana Iotova and Andrey Gyurov advancing as turnout reached about 22 percent.

Updated Oct 26, 2026 · 14:18 UTC2 reports

The short version

Incumbent Iliana Iotova and former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov will face each other in a November 1 run-off, since neither won outright in the first round.[Al Jazeera]
Exit polls put Iotova at 35 to 36.5 percent and Gyurov at 31 to 33.5 percent, while the Central Election Commission's near-complete count showed 34.8 percent to 32 percent.[Al Jazeera · Associated Press]
Turnout was about 22 percent of 6.6 million eligible voters, well short of the 50 percent needed for a first-round win.[Al Jazeera · Associated Press]
Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said the vote was peaceful and free of the usual vote buying and manipulation.[Al Jazeera]

Incumbent Iliana Iotova and former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov advance to a presidential run-off set for November 1.[Al Jazeera]
Exit polls on Sunday showed Iotova receiving 35 to 36.5 percent of the vote and Gyurov receiving 31 to 33.5 percent.[Al Jazeera]
With almost all ballots counted, the Central Election Commission reported 34.8 percent for incumbent Yotova and 32 percent for Gyurov.[Associated Press]
Turnout was 22.2 percent as of 8pm local time, according to the Measure polling agency.[Al Jazeera]
Polling agencies estimated that about 22 percent of the 6.6 million eligible voters had cast ballots, short of the over 50 percent turnout needed for a first-round victory.[Associated Press]
Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said the election proceeded peacefully without the usual vote buying and vote manipulation.[Al Jazeera]

Vote shares are preliminary, since exit polls and the near-complete official count give different figures and the run-off outcome is open.[Al Jazeera · Associated Press]
The Interior Minister's assessment that the vote was peaceful and free of usual irregularities is an official statement reported by Bulgarian National Television, not an independently verified finding.[Al Jazeera]
The outlets spell the incumbent's surname differently, as Iotova and Yotova, so the correct spelling in official records is not confirmed by these reports.[Al Jazeera · Associated Press]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.