SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Bulgarians went to the polls Sunday to choose their next president in a contest shaped by deadly drone strikes on Black Sea shipping and a sharp increase in living costs.
Voting began at 7 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT) and ends at 8 p.m. (18:00 GMT) for 6.6 million registered voters. Twenty-seven candidates are running, though analysts say the race will likely be settled in a November 1 runoff between acting President Iliana Iotova, 61, and former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, 50.
Alpha Research surveys put Iotova at 41 percent and Gyurov at 28 percent. Turnout is expected to fall short of the 50 percent threshold needed for a first-round win, making a second round almost certain, ABC News reported.
The vote has gained urgency following a wave of drone attacks on commercial vessels off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, most recently the sinking of the Ukrainian-owned cargo vessel Chelsea 3 on October 13. The strikes have likely killed around two dozen international seafarers, according to officials cited by Al Jazeera and The Straits Times.
Bulgaria has avoided directly blaming Russia, but Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated that the attacks "benefit the Russian Federation." NATO has answered by deploying additional patrol aircraft to the Black Sea.
Both frontrunners denounced the strikes, but they diverge on the wider war in Ukraine. Gyurov, backed by pro-Western reformist parties, signed a security cooperation deal with Kyiv during his premiership. At a Thursday rally, he said Bulgaria must be a dependable NATO ally that protects its interests through readiness, strong diplomacy and a clear stance.
Iotova, who became acting president in January after Radev resigned to contest the parliamentary election, is supported by Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party. She and Radev both urge a diplomatic end to the fighting. "My opponents argue that there must be a war of attrition," Iotova said Thursday. "The truth is, we are all the ones who are most exhausted."
The Bulgarian presidency is largely ceremonial, though the office commands the armed forces, can veto legislation, sign international treaties and appoint ambassadors. An Iotova victory would make her the country's first elected female president.
Voters also pointed to soaring energy prices and inflation as top concerns, especially in rural areas where many struggle to get by, according to The Associated Press and Reuters reporting carried by Al Jazeera and The Straits Times. The Independent noted the campaign has centered on the drone attacks and economic hardship.