Gyurov Sweeps Sofia and Most of Europe as Yotova Dominates Bulgaria's Provinces

Andrey Gyurov leads in Sofia and among Bulgarian voters across most of Europe, while presidential candidate Iliana Yotova dominates in most Bulgarian provinces and Kostadin Kostadinov tops the vote in Russia, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) results from Bulgaria’s October 25 presidential election.

With 98.99% of polling station protocols processed by Regional Election Commissions, the results show that Yotova and Gyurov will face each other in a runoff in a week, following low turnout in the first round.

Yotova and running mate Kiril Valchev lead in the provinces, except for the 16th Multi-Member Electoral District, which covers the municipality of Plovdiv, where Gyurov and Georgi Kandev are in first place. Support for the candidates varies considerably from one region to another.

Gyurov leads in all three electoral districts of Sofia-City, with a substantial advantage over Yotova. In the 23rd district, he received 88,681 votes against her 35,767, while in the 24th district he secured 52,493 compared with 24,764 for Yotova. All protocols in both districts have been processed.

In the 25th district, where 99.81% of protocols had been counted at the time of reporting, Gyurov was also ahead, with 37,762 votes to Yotova’s 28,273.

The contest was much closer in Varna, where Yotova received 33,199 votes and Gyurov 31,364. In Plovdiv Province, Yotova led with 22,073 votes against 13,184 for Gyurov. The result was reversed in the municipality of Plovdiv, where Gyurov won 30,306 votes and Yotova received 24,608.

Yotova recorded a much wider lead in several other provinces. In Haskovo, she won 20,039 votes, compared with 7,768 for Gyurov. In Kardzhali, her total was 9,896 against his 4,953, while in Vratsa she received 13,242 votes to Gyurov’s 5,835. In Pleven, Yotova secured 18,274 votes, compared with 9,414 for Gyurov.

In Yambol, Yotova led with 8,886 votes. The battle for second place between Gyurov, who received 3,934 votes, and Kostadinov, with 3,354, was separated by less than three percentage points.

Among Bulgarian voters abroad, Yotova led in Turkey, receiving 3,933 votes against Gyurov’s 1,893. Turnout there was exceptionally low: around 7,000 people voted, compared with more than 27,000 in the parliamentary election less than a year earlier.

Yotova also led in Moldova, where she received 402 votes to Gyurov’s 216. She came first in Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia, and won in Montenegro, where fewer than 20 people voted. Gyurov, meanwhile, led in Serbia and Romania.

Across most of the rest of Europe, Gyurov held a strong advantage. In Germany, with 99.84% of polling station protocols processed, he received 6,376 votes, compared with 2,630 for Yotova. In Spain, he won 2,521 votes against her 1,903.

Gyurov, who was backed by PP-DB, also led in France, with 1,469 votes to Yotova’s 417, and in Italy, where he received 1,254 votes against 521. In the United Kingdom, Gyurov secured 5,178 votes, while Yotova received 2,771.

Russia was an exception to the broader European pattern, with Kostadin Kostadinov taking first place in a vote in which approximately 200 people participated.

In the United States, Gyurov won 3,207 votes, far ahead of Yotova’s 871. Kostadinov placed third with 647 votes. Gyurov also led in Canada, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, China, Japan, Singapore, Kuwait, New Zealand and Australia.

The overall overseas results showed Gyurov and Kandev in first place, with 36,681 votes, or 45.61%, followed by Yotova and Valchev with 18,402 votes, or 22.88%. Their difference was 18,279 votes, close to 23 percentage points.

Kostadinov and Petar Volgin ranked third among overseas voters, receiving 9,352 votes, or 11.63%. Ivelin Mihaylov and Yuliana Mateeva followed with 5,220 votes, or 6.49%, while Radostin Vasilev and Krasimir Manov received 3,015 votes, or 3.75%.

The CEC figures for the overseas vote were reported as of 8 a.m. on October 26, with 99.35% of protocols from polling stations abroad processed.