In brief
Progressive Bulgaria representatives hailed a surge in voter participation during the November 1 runoff, describing the turnout as unprecedented. Exit polls from five agencies show Iliana Iotova and running mate Kiril Valchev leading 51% to 43% over Andrey Gurov and Georgi Kandev. The official result remains pending, leaving questions about the final tally and any potential irregularities.
On November 1, Bulgaria held a presidential runoff between incumbent Iliana Iotova, supported by Kiril Valchev, and opposition‑backed former prime minister Andrey Gurov, whose running mate was Georgi Kandev. The election saw a notable turnout boost over the first round, which some reports described as unprecedented for a second‑round vote.
Progressive Bulgaria (PB) Floor Leader Petar Vitanov welcomed the voters’ participation, specifically noting the impact of adverse weather on turnout. He praised the high engagement and called the increase in voter participation “unprecedented” and nearly 10% higher than the first round.
Vitanov thanked everyone who voted and remarked: “A negative campaign marked by compromising material discouraged many voters, but the turnout rose by nearly a third, a record in Bulgarian history.”
MP Dimitar Zdravkov further confirmed the expectation of the result, proceeding with remarks: “The trend we are seeing is logical and reflects public expectations.” He added that the opposition alliance would need to present stronger candidates in future elections.
Exit Polls Show Iotova/Valchev Lead
Five polling agencies—Trend, Gallup International, Alpha Research, Market Links, and Myara—released exit polls immediately after the voting on Sunday. All five reported a consistent advantage for the Iotova/Valchev ticket.
Iliana Iotova/Kiril Valchev: 51% – Myara; 51% – Gallup; 51.6% – Trend; 50.7% – Market Links; 52.5% – Alpha Research
In contrast, the Gurov/Kandev combination received 43% to 44.7% across the same agencies. Four of the five polls show a margin of roughly 7 to 8 percentage points.
Campaign officials and analysts noted that while the margin is comfortable, official certification is still pending. The Interior Ministry has yet to release the final count, which is expected later in the day, according to an international news bulletin that reported partial official results would be published shortly after midnight.
Weather conditions on election day—rain and wind—were cited by PB leaders as a negative factor that could have suppressed turnout in certain regions. Despite this, the turnout was reported to have increased by almost one third compared with the first round, when only about 23% of registered voters turned out.
Some commentators in regional media highlighted that the runoff was marked by a narrower victory margin in the first round, with Yotova beating Gyurov by 2.8 percentage points when turnout was only 23% of eligible voters. They suggested that the higher turnout could lead to a broader margin this time.
While the exit polls provide a persuasive narrative of Iotova’s lead, the uncertainty remains around the exact final figures, any potential disputes, and the official certification timeline, all of which the Interior Ministry has said will be determined later in the evening.
In all, the Progressively‑aligned MPs have pronounced the result as expected and the turnout as record‑high, while official verification and dispute resolution remain pending. Only the final certified numbers can confirm the extent of the victory, the legitimacy of the process, and whether any irregularities may have emerged after the fact.
