Bulgaria will hold the second round of its 2026 presidential election on Sunday, November 1, with incumbent President Iliana Iotova facing former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov. The Central Election Commission (CEC) confirmed the runoff after neither ticket secured an outright victory on October 25.
What the first-round results show
| Presidential and vice-presidential ticket | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Iliana Iotova – Kiril Valchev | 528,951 | 34.760% |
| Andrey Gyurov – Georgi Kandev | 486,232 | 31.953% |
| Kostadin Kostadinov – Petar Volgin | 190,910 | 12.546% |
Official national results, first round, October 25; percentages as reported by Bulgaria’s CEC. These are votes cast, not a projection for the runoff.
The leading two tickets were separated by 42,719 votes. The CEC recorded 1,525,034 voters in the first round, reflecting unusually low participation. Candidates who finished outside the top two will not appear on Sunday’s presidential runoff ballot.
Polls before October 25 were not runoff polls
Three late first-round surveys had shown a wider Iotova lead than the official election-day result: Gallup International Balkan (October 14–22) reported 43.2% to 29.7%; Myara (October 8–19) reported 43.4% to 28.9%; and Market Links (October 13–19) reported 47.3% to 30.6%. The surveys used different samples and were conducted before the first-round vote. Their numbers should not be treated as a forecast of the two-candidate runoff.
A separate Sova Harris survey (October 13–17, 1,000 adults) tested a hypothetical Iotova–Gyurov second round and reported 65.8% to 34.2%. It, too, preceded the actual first-round result and may not reflect later voter decisions.
Follow the election: Votendi’s Bulgaria 2026 election hub collects the official first-round figures, historical polls and runoff updates.
What happens next
Voting will take place on November 1. Votendi will distinguish official results from survey findings and will link to the CEC’s election-results service as data becomes available. Counting figures will not be presented as live results until verified against the official runoff release.
Sources: CEC official first-round results; BTA / Gallup; BTA / Myara; BTA / Market Links; BTA / Sova Harris.
