Bulgaria presidential election results 2026: runoff on 1 November

Nobody won Bulgaria’s presidential election on 25 October 2026. With all protocols processed by the regional commissions, the Central Election Commission (CEC) puts president Iliana Yotova on 34.76% and former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov on 31.95%, so the two face each other in a runoff scheduled for Sunday 1 November 2026.

Status as of 26 October 2026, after the first round: the runoff is set for Sunday 1 November, 7:00–20:00. Varna Pulse does not take sides. The CEC publishes official results at results.cik.bg.

What were the official first-round results?

The CEC figures (100% of protocols processed, as reported by BTA on 26 October) replace the exit polls and parallel counts we reported earlier. Behind the two leaders, Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov came third with 12.55%, and 4.426% of voters chose “I support no one”. 27 candidates ran, Al Jazeera reported.

Turnout was heading for a record low for a presidential first round, Sofia Globe reported. The CEC recorded 16.04% at 16:00, according to Sofia Globe; Al Jazeera, citing Radio Bulgaria, later put turnout at 22.2%. The CEC has not yet published a final figure. The winner takes office in January 2027 for a five-year term.

How did the parties react on 26 October?

Prime Minister Rumen Radev, whose Progressive Bulgaria backs Yotova, congratulated her and urged voters to “consign this assemblage to oblivion”, linking Gyurov to the earlier informal coalition of the reformist parties, Boyko Borissov and Delyan Peevski, Sofia Globe reported. Radev blamed opposition parties for making voting seem pointless, said others stayed home because they thought the result was settled, and expects turnout to rise on 1 November.

Democratic Bulgaria and We Continue the Change, which backed Gyurov, called Yotova’s result a verdict on the Radev government. DB’s Bozhidar Bozhanov said the campaign began with a 25-point gap in the polls and ended with a 2.5-point gap.

Gyurov has challenged Yotova to a debate on BNT. Both camps mentioned 29 October, but as of 26 October it was not confirmed.

Where do Yotova and Gyurov stand on Russia, Ukraine and the EU?

Foreign policy is the clearest dividing line in the campaign coverage of Brussels Signal and EUalive (September 2026). Below is what each candidate has said, as reported by those outlets.

Iliana Yotova says Bulgaria must not be drawn into the war. On 8 September she said the war has no military solution, that Bulgaria should lead a peace coalition and that it could not join the France- and UK-led “coalition of the willing”, Brussels Signal reported. According to EUalive, she proposes a “coalition for peace”, calls the security agreement with Ukraine “inadequate” and says “there are two sides” in the war. Euronews reports that she favours dialogue with Moscow and opposes military aid to Ukraine.

Andrey Gyurov presents himself as the guarantor of Bulgaria’s European path. On 10 September he said he would not let 35 years of work on Bulgaria’s place in Europe be undone by party, oligarchic or foreign interests, Brussels Signal reported. As caretaker prime minister he signed a 10-year security agreement with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on 30 March 2026, Interfax-Ukraine and EUalive reported. According to EUalive, he says “we really do have an aggressor – Russia” and argues that military aid should let Ukraine negotiate without capitulating.

The government, not the president, sets foreign policy. For background, see Bulgaria’s relations with Russia and Bulgaria’s aid to Ukraine.

Which parties back each candidate?

• Yotova and Kiril Valchev: nominated by an initiative committee; backed by Progressive Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (Euronews, BTA).
• Gyurov and Georgi Kandev: nominated by an initiative committee; backed by We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria (Sofia Globe, BTA).
• GERB fielded no candidate. Boyko Borissov argued that a GERB candidate would split the pro-European vote, Sofia Globe reported on 8 September.

More on who is who in our guide to Bulgarian politics.

What powers will the winner have?

Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic, so the prime minister governs. The president, elected for five years, can return a law to parliament once, is commander-in-chief and appoints caretaker governments when parliament cannot form one. Our president vs prime minister explainer has the details.

What it means for Varna

• Where Varna votes in the runoff: as of 26 October, at the same polling stations as on 25 October, on 1 November from 7:00 to 20:00 (longer where people are still queuing at closing time). Only Bulgarian citizens aged 18+ can vote, with an ID card or passport.
• How the region voted: according to the CEC (100% counted), Varna (MIR 03) gave Yotova 32.13%, Gyurov 30.36% and Kostadinov 16.34%, a stronger result for Kostadinov than nationally.
• Turnout: 25.28% in the region and 27.66% in Varna city, BTA reported. In the 2021 presidential election, regional turnout was 39.82% by 20:00.
• Parking: the Blue Zone was not charged on the first-round weekend. As of 26 October, it has not been announced whether the same applies on 1 November; check our Varna parking guide before you drive.
• Campaign issues close to home: rising prices and Black Sea security, including the drone attacks on ships off Bulgaria’s coast, dominated the campaign.

Our pre-vote explainer covers how the election works.

When do polls close and where are the results published?

According to the schedule, polls close at 20:00 on 1 November and counting starts straight after. The CEC publishes the official national and Varna results at results.cik.bg.