Bulgaria Votes in Tense Presidential Runoff 

Bulgarians started voting on Sunday in a closely contested presidential runoff between Iliana Iotova, who favours dialogue with Moscow and opposes military assistance to Ukraine, and pro-Western opposition candidate Andrey Gyurov.

Polling stations opened at 7 am (0500 GMT) and were scheduled to close at 8 pm, with voting extended until 9 pm where voters remained in queues.

Iotova secured 35 per cent of the vote in last week’s first round, while Gyurov received 32 per cent. The result narrowed the gap considerably from opinion polls that had projected a 20-point lead for Iotova.

The first-round recorded turnout was just 23 per cent, the lowest in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) member state’s history.

Political analyst Teodor Slavev told AFP that voters were weighing Iotova’s response to what he described as Russian threats in the Black Sea, which he considered unconvincing.

Several vessels were attacked off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast in October, leaving 21 people missing. The incidents were suspected to be linked to the wider Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev has said the attacks appeared to benefit Russia and summoned the Russian ambassador. 

However, his government maintains that there is no direct evidence linking Moscow to the incidents.

Iotova, a longtime ally of Radev, supports Bulgaria’s membership of the EU and NATO but has campaigned on a platform of peace and negotiations with Russia.

During a televised debate, Gyurov accused her of avoiding direct criticism of Moscow over the attacks on Black Sea shipping.

He argued that Russia must end its aggression before further steps could be taken and called for the country to be identified as the source of the threats.

“Russia must stop its aggression so that the next steps can be taken. Let us name the country from which the threats are coming,” he said.

Iotova maintained that negotiations were the only path to peace, warning that increased funding and more advanced weapons for Ukraine would only prolong destruction and casualties on both sides.

“Pouring more money into Ukraine, supplying new and more sophisticated weapons, leads only to more destruction and the deaths of many people on both sides,” she said.

Radev has also called for a ceasefire and peace talks in Ukraine, describing them as the only reliable way to stop attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea.

After the first round, he framed the presidential election as a choice between peace and war and urged Bulgarians to support Iotova, saying she would keep the country in safe hands.

A former journalist and member of the European Parliament, Iotova, 62, was elected vice-president alongside Radev in 2016 and 2021.

She took over as president this year when Radev stepped down to run in parliamentary elections.

A victory would make Iotova the first woman elected president of Bulgaria, a country of 6.4 million people.

She has also pledged to tackle poverty in the EU’s poorest member state.

Bulgaria, which has historically maintained close ties with Russia, remains divided over its relationship with Moscow.

Gyurov, 50, a former deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, has criticised Radev’s foreign policy and advocated stronger ties with Western allies.

Following the first round, he described the runoff as a choice between two candidates with different visions and approaches to exercising presidential powers.

Sociologist Boriana Dimitrova told AFP that low turnout in the first round may have resulted from some voters believing Iotova’s victory was already assured, as well as dissatisfaction with Radev’s coalition.

She expects participation to increase in the runoff, arguing that the narrow margin between the candidates and the uncertainty surrounding the result could draw more voters.

The campaign was also marked by opposition allegations that Radev had misused state resources and his office to support Iotova, in violation of electoral law.

The Central Election Commission dismissed the allegations, but Gyurov’s campaign team has challenged the decision in court.