Iliana Iotova leads in first round

Outgoing president Iliana Iotova secured the highest number of votes in the first round of the presidential election, receiving 35 percent of the total votes.

Andrey Gyurov trails closely

Her main competitor, Andrey Gyurov, a supporter of European Union integration and former interim prime minister, received 32 percent of the votes, trailing Iotova by three percentage points.

Polls underestimated Iotova’s lead

Opinion polls conducted before the election had suggested that Iotova could win by as much as 20 percentage points, making her actual lead somewhat narrower than expected.

Iotova’s position as incumbent

As the current president, Iotova is seeking re-election, and her performance in the first round indicates strong public support for her continued leadership.