Bulgaria holds second round of presidential election — Taipei Times

Bulgaria has held the second round of its presidential election, with acting President Iliana Iotova facing Andrey Gyurov, a former prime minister of a caretaker government. According to the Taipei Times, none of the candidates received more than 50% of the vote in the first round, so a runoff was scheduled.

First-round results

In the first round, Iotova was ahead of Gyurov but did not pass the 50% threshold. Twenty-seven candidates took part in the election, while turnout was record low. Exit polls were to be released after voting ended, and the result was expected after the ballots were counted.

An Iotova victory would make her Bulgaria's first elected female president. In January, she became acting president after Rumen Radev resigned to run in parliamentary elections, which he won. Radev, who supports Iotova, is now Bulgaria's prime minister.

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Attacks on vessels in the Black Sea

The election took place amid a series of drone attacks on commercial vessels off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast over the past month. According to the publication, there are fears that about two dozen sailors may have been killed. Following the attacks, the government appealed to its allies for assistance in strengthening maritime security.

On Wednesday, a Greek container ship sank after being struck by naval drones. Both candidates condemned the attacks and called for a diplomatic end to the war. Rumen Radev said that the consequences of the strikes are “beneficial to the Russian Federation,” an aggressor state.

Gyurov is supported by pro-Western reformist parties. He has also long expressed support for Ukraine and, while serving as prime minister, signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv. Politicians who have endorsed Gyurov include former Bulgarian prime minister Boyko Borissov.