Acting President Iliana Iotova captured the Bulgarian presidency in Sunday's runoff, taking 57.58% of the vote according to near-final results the Central Election Commission released Monday, Daily Maverick reported.
Former Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov finished with 39.47% with 99.95% of polling station protocols counted, the commission said. About 2.95% of voters selected the "I support no one" option.
Iotova becomes the country's first elected female head of state. Turnout stood at 29.1%, only slightly above the record low of 22.98% recorded in the first round on October 25, Balkan Insight reported.
A runoff was required after no candidate secured a majority in the first round. Iotova and running mate Kiril Valchev led with 34.6% on October 25, ahead of Gyurov and Georgi Kandev on 32%.
Iotova, 62, has served as acting president since January when Rumen Radev resigned to lead his Progressive Bulgaria party to victory in April's parliamentary elections. Radev, now prime minister, backed Iotova's campaign.
During the campaign, Iotova positioned herself as a "president of peace" and called for a more balanced attitude toward Russia. She has opposed further military aid to Ukraine and advocated dialogue with Moscow. "I don't see Russia as an enemy state... I hope Russia will take part in Europe's future security architecture," she said in a televised debate in October, according to Balkan Insight.
Gyurov conceded defeat on Sunday night. "This is how the Bulgarian citizens have voted," he said, according to the Kyiv Independent.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Iotova on Monday. "From security and defense to our competitiveness and energy independence, I look forward to continuing our joint work," von der Leyen said.
The result aligns the presidency with Radev's government. That government has ended Bulgarian military support for Ukraine from army stocks and declined to blame Russia for drone attacks on merchant vessels near Bulgaria's Black Sea coast in October, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Iotova's vice president will be Kiril Valchev, who heads the Bulgarian News Agency, a nomination that raised questions about media independence. Iotova previously served as vice president under Radev from 2017 to 2026 and as a Member of the European Parliament.