Yotova and Gyurov advance to Bulgaria presidential runoff

Iliana Yotova and Andrey Gyurov will compete in Bulgaria’s presidential runoff on November 1 after neither secured an outright victory in the October 25 first round, preliminary results showed. The Central Election Commission’s near-final count put incumbent Yotova at 34.8% and Gyurov at 32%. With neither candidate reaching the threshold for a first-round win, the two will advance to a second vote. The Commission’s figures were still preliminary: with 95.3% of tally sheets processed, it had reported 34.6% for Yotova and 32% for Gyurov, and final results were due within 48 hours of election day. The first-round rules require a candidate to receive more than half of valid votes, with turnout exceeding 50% of eligible voters. Polling agencies estimated overall participation at about 22%, well below that turnout requirement. The Central Election Commission’s interim turnout figure was 16.04% by 4 p.m. on election day, compared with 24.12% at the same point in the 2021 presidential election. That figure was not the certified final nationwide turnout. Yotova, who became president after Rumen Radev resigned in January to enter parliamentary politics, is running as an independent with...