Iliana Iotova, who has been serving as Bulgaria’s acting president, comfortably defeated pro-western candidate Andrey Gyurov in Sunday’s runoff election for the presidency, according to exit polls that predicted she would be the first directly elected female head of state.
According to two exit polls cited by Reuters, Iotova garnered approximately 51% of the vote to Gyurov’s 43%-45%, a former caretaker prime minister.
Official results are anticipated Monday as votes are tallied. Voter turnout was estimated at 27% to 29%, above the record-low 23% of the first round of voting on Oct. 25.
The vote was held against a backdrop of increased security fears over drone strikes on ships in the Black Sea that have killed some two dozen sailors.
Iotova, 61, who advocates talking to Moscow and is opposed to supplying Ukraine with more military aid, told reporters after voting that she wished Bulgaria to be a “strong state in a strong Europe” with an autonomous foreign policy.
Gyurov, supported by the pro-Western reformist parties, has called for a Bulgaria “Secure, stable and European”.
Iotova became president in January after Rumen Radev stepped down to run for a parliament seat. The Bulgarian presidency is mostly symbolic but has great constitutional powers.
