Bulgaria's first round of presidential elections on October 25 ended with a historic low voter turnout, setting the stage for a runoff between the two leading candidates. Incumbent president Iliana Iotova secured 34.7% of the vote, falling short of pre-election polls that had projected her support between 40% and 47%. Her closest rival, pro-European Andrey Gyurov, received 32% of the vote, positioning himself as her main challenger in the upcoming runoff.
The low turnout, with only 22% of the 6.6 million registered voters participating, marked the highest level of abstention since the 1992 presidential election. This dismal turnout reflects widespread dissatisfaction with the government, which has been grappling with inflation and the economic fallout from the war between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea.
Iotova, who took over the presidency after Prime Minister Rumen Radev resigned in April to campaign, was backed by Radev's party, Progressive Bulgaria. Despite the party's victory in the April parliamentary elections on an anti-corruption platform, Iotova's performance in the presidential race suggests that public sentiment has shifted against the government.
The runoff election will now determine Bulgaria's next president, with the outcome likely hinging on how the remaining candidates' supporters align behind Iotova and Gyurov.