Bulgaria to Hold Presidential Runoff Election
Bulgaria will hold a presidential runoff election on Sunday between acting President Iliana Yotova and former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov.
Bulgaria is set to hold a presidential runoff election on Sunday, with acting President Iliana Yotova and former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov vying for the top spot, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported on Sunday.
The runoff election was necessitated after neither candidate secured a majority in the first round, which saw Yotova and her running mate, Kiril Valchev, garner 34.8% of the vote, while Gyurov and Georgi Kandev secured 32%.
The first round's low turnout of 22.5% has raised concerns, marking the lowest recorded participation in the country's post-communist history.
A total of 27 candidates contested the initial round, but none met the electoral requirements to win outright.
Under Bulgarian electoral rules, a candidate must receive more than half of the valid votes, with turnout exceeding 50% of registered voters, to win in the first round.
The election takes place amid ongoing political instability in Bulgaria, which has experienced eight parliamentary elections since April 2021, including seven early elections.
The repeated polls followed difficulties among political parties in forming stable governments, with disagreements over coalition arrangements leading to the collapse of successive attempts.
Background
Bulgaria's political landscape has been marred by instability since 2021, with multiple elections failing to produce a stable government.
The country's latest parliamentary election in April saw Progressive Bulgaria, led by former President Rumen Radev, secure an outright majority, winning 131 of the National Assembly's 240 seats.
