# Bulgaria elects its first woman president: Iliana Iotova wins runoff with 57.6%

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/world/bulgaria-elects-its-first-woman-president-iliana-iotova-wins-runoff-with)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 2 Nov 2026
Updated: 2 Nov 2026
Retrieved: 2 Nov 2026

> The acting president beat Andrey Gyurov in Sunday's second round on a low turnout, with the backing of former president Rumen Radev.

**Iliana Iotova has won Bulgaria's presidential runoff and becomes the country's first elected woman head of state**, near-final results from the Central Election Commission showed on Monday, Reuters reported via [Business Recorder](https://www.brecorder.com/news/40447025/bulgarias-iotova-wins-presidential-runoff-near-final-results). Turnout was low.

## The result

| Ticket | Share | Votes (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Iliana Iotova and Valchev | 57.58% | 1.1 million |
| Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev | 39.47% | 749,500 |
| "I support no one" | 2.95% | |

The count stood at 99.95% of precinct protocols processed.

## How she got here

The runoff on Sunday followed a **first round on 25 October** in which no one won an outright majority. Iotova's ticket led then with 34.6%, ahead of Gyurov and Kandev on 32%.

Iotova was **vice president** until January, when President **Rumen Radev** resigned to run in the parliamentary election. He won it, on a ticket many analysts consider friendly to the Kremlin, and Iotova became acting president. Radev backed her in this race. Both have called for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine.

## Why it matters

Bulgaria is a member of the European Union and NATO and sits on the Black Sea, close to the war in Ukraine. With Iotova and Radev both arguing for talks, Sofia is likely to push that line inside the EU. In Bulgaria's parliamentary system the president's powers are mostly ceremonial, but the office appoints caretaker governments, represents the country abroad and can return laws to parliament.

The Black Sea is a main route for the world's grain and fertiliser, so any move toward ending the war matters to import-dependent countries, Pakistan included. Our [euro to rupee page](/data/eur-pkr) tracks the euro, the currency of the EU's biggest economies and of many of Pakistan's export buyers.

## Frequently asked questions

**Who won the Bulgarian presidential election 2026?**

Iliana Iotova, on a ticket with Valchev, with 57.58% of the vote in the runoff on Sunday 1 November 2026, on near-final results.

## Sources

- Bulgaria's Iotova wins presidential runoff, near-final results show (Reuters, 2 Nov 2026) (Business Recorder): https://www.brecorder.com/news/40447025/bulgarias-iotova-wins-presidential-runoff-near-final-results
- Bulgaria has its first elected female president (2 Nov 2026) (Al Jazeera): https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/11/2/bulgaria-has-its-first-elected-female-p

How to cite: "Bulgaria elects its first woman president: Iliana Iotova wins runoff with 57.6%", Searchable, 2 Nov 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/world/bulgaria-elects-its-first-woman-president-iliana-iotova-wins-runoff-with