Bulgaria elected Iliana Yotova as the first female president in its history. The current interim president won the runoff election, held on Sunday, November 1.
Yotova obtained about 58% of the votes against about 38% for her opponent, the former interim prime minister Andrey Gyurov, according to preliminary results reported by the international press.
Gyurov, supported by reformist opposition parties pro-Western, conceded defeat after the release of the first projections. Official results were expected for Monday, the 2nd.
The victory also represents an important result for Prime Minister Rumen Radev, a political ally of Yotova and a supporter of her candidacy. In a post on social media, he thanked the voters and stated that Bulgarians chose “the future over the past,” in addition to highlighting the pursuit of peace, stability and normality.
Yotova also spoke out after the first projections. In a press conference in Sofia, the capital of the country, she thanked the voters who supported her and those who chose other candidates.
“We thank the citizens who did not support us – their vote means a lot to us. We listen to what they want to say. We will conduct a very serious analysis and respond to their concerns and hopes, as well as to the people who did not vote,” she said.
At 62 years old, Yotova assumed the presidency on an interim basis in January, when Radev left the post to run in parliamentary elections. Her victory is expected to keep the presidency under the influence of the governing majority, according to information from the Associated Press (AP).
In foreign policy, the elected president is expected to continue Radev’s stance, which defends keeping Bulgaria on the European track, but also closer relations with Russia and the lifting of sanctions against Moscow.
The war in Ukraine was among the campaign’s themes, where Yotova advocated a diplomatic solution involving the two countries.
Bulgaria has been a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since 2004 and the European Union since 2007.
*With information from the AP
