Follow-Up: Bulgaria Presidential Runoff Near-Final Results: Iotova Wins With 57.58 Percent, Set to Become the Country's First Elected Woman President
SOFIA, Bulgaria, November 2 — Near-final results announced by Bulgaria's Central Electoral Commission on November 2 showed acting President Iliana Iotova winning the presidential runoff with 57.58 percent of the vote. Iotova, 62, has declared victory and is set to become the first woman to be directly elected head of state in Bulgaria. A social scientist and longtime member of the European Parliament, she has served as acting president since former President Rumen Radev resigned in January.
In the runoff on Sunday, November 1, Iotova won about 1.1 million votes, ahead of her opponent Vasil Tonanski. With 99.95 percent of ballots processed, the commission reported Tonanski at 39.47 percent (749,500 votes), while 2.95 percent of voters chose “against all.” In a prime-time victory speech, Iotova said: “I promise you that you voted your trust in me and I will not let you down. Now it is time for real change, the world is changing, and Bulgaria must change.” Tonanski congratulated her on her victory. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Iotova in a post on social media.
Iotova was Radev's deputy before succeeding him as acting president in January under the constitution. Radev announced on October 4, at the founding congress of his new party Progressive Bulgaria, that he would act as a key ally of presidential candidate Iotova in government-formation talks and in policy design; toward the end of the campaign, however, Iotova deliberately distanced herself from him and stressed an independent profile. In the first round on October 25, Iotova led with 34.6 percent to Tonanski's 32 percent. The presidential election comes ahead of Bulgaria's scheduled adoption of the euro on January 1, and turnout in the runoff was closely watched: exit polls put turnout at roughly 27 to 29 percent.
Source: GSM News
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 保加利亚当选总统伊利亚娜·约托娃。 Iliana Iotova, president-elect of Bulgaria. CC BY 2.5 BG，图片来源：保加利亚总统府 president.bg／Wikimedia Commons。
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- 2026-11-02Follow-Up: Bulgaria Presidential Runoff Near-Final Results: Iotova Wins With 57.58 Percent, Set to Become the Country's First Elected Woman PresidentThis story
