Bulgarians vote for president in shadow of Russia’s war in Ukraine

The two leading candidates condemn recent deadly Black Sea drone strikes but differ on the Ukraine war more broadly.

A pedestrian walks past an election billboard of incumbent President and presidential candidate Iliana Iotova, left, and vice presidential candidate Kiril Valchev, in Sofia, Bulgaria, on October 23, 2026 [Nikolay Doychinov/AFP]

Bulgarians are voting in a presidential election amid the spread of Russia’s war on Ukraine to the waters off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.

Ahead of Sunday’s vote, President Iliana Iotova, 61, and ex-caretaker Prime ⁠Minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, were leading a field of 27 candidates in the polls.

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⁠The presidency is a largely ceremonial post in Bulgaria. While major policies must be approved by Parliament, direct election gives the president greater political authority. The president leads the armed forces and can veto legislation, sign international treaties and appoint ambassadors.

The election has also gained attention after a series of drone attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria’s coast that likely killed some two dozen international seafarers.

The drone strikes ‌sparked international condemnation and concerns about the growing reach of the war in Ukraine, prompting Bulgaria to seek allied assistance to bolster its maritime security.

The Bulgarian government has stopped short of explicitly blaming Russia for the attacks, but Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the outcome of the strikes “benefits the Russian Federation”.

Relations with Russia, West at stake

The two leading candidates for president have both condemned the strikes, but they differ on the broader war in Ukraine.

Gyurov, who served as caretaker prime minister this year, is backed by ⁠pro-Western, reformist parties and has long expressed support for Ukraine. He ⁠signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv during his time as premier.

“I want Bulgaria to have a voice of its own in Europe, a reliable NATO ally that defends its interests through preparedness, strong diplomacy and ⁠a clear position,” he said at a rally on Thursday.

This photo, released by the Bulgarian Interior Ministry, shows the ship Chelsea 3 during a rescue operation near Byala, Bulgaria, on October 13, 2026, after it was hit by drones [Bulgarian Interior Ministry via AP]

Iotova, a former vice president, became acting president in January after Radev resigned to ⁠enter the parliamentary race, which he won on what many ⁠political analysts considered a Kremlin-friendly ticket.

Radev supports Iotova, and they both call for a diplomatic end to the war.

“My opponents argue that there must be ‌a war of attrition,” Iotova told a rally on Thursday. “The truth is, we are all the ones who are most exhausted.”

While there is a broad consensus among the parties in Parliament on the country’s pro-Western path, widespread pro-Russian sentiments based on traditional historical and cultural ties with Russia have divided society, particularly since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Dobromir Zhivkov, managing director of the Market Links polling agency, said Iotova is among those who advocate that Bulgaria take a more neutral position.

“They call for an end to aid for Ukraine and a halt to arms deliveries to Ukraine; we often hear them use Kremlin rhetoric and terminology borrowed directly from Kremlin propaganda,” he told The Associated Press news agency earlier this week.

Run-off vote expected

Candidates are also addressing public fears about the steep rise in energy prices and surging inflation, with many Bulgarians in rural areas struggling to make ends meet.

Polls by Alpha Research give Iotova 41 percent of the vote and ‌Gyurov ‌28 percent.

Voting starts at 7am (05:00 GMT), and polls close at 8pm (18:00 GMT).

Analysts expect none of the 27 candidates to secure the outright majority needed to win in the first round, however.

Turnout must also be above 50 percent of the 6.6 million registered voters, and Sunday’s turnout is expected to be less than 40 percent, which means a likely run-off on November 1.

两位主要候选人都谴责了最近发生在黑海的致命无人机袭击，但在更广泛的乌克兰战争问题上存在分歧。

2026 年 10 月 23 日，保加利亚索非亚，一名行人走过现任总统兼总统候选人伊利亚娜·伊托娃（左）和副总统候选人基里尔·瓦尔切夫的选举广告牌 [Nikolay Doychinov/法新社]

在俄罗斯对乌克兰的战争蔓延至保加利亚黑海沿岸水域之际，保加利亚正在举行总统选举。

在周日投票前，61岁的总统伊利亚娜·约托娃和50岁的前看守总理安德烈·久罗夫在27名候选人中领先。

列表 1/3 战争与高温：为什么小麦价格飙升？

保加利亚搜寻黑海两艘船只遭无人机撞击后失踪船员（共3条报道，此为第2条）

保加利亚结束对无人机袭击导致货船沉没后失踪船员的搜寻（共3条记录，此为第3条）

在保加利亚，总统职位主要是一个礼仪性职位。虽然重大政策必须经议会批准，但总统直接选举赋予了总统更大的政治权力。总统领导武装部队，可以否决立法、签署国际条约和任命大使。

在保加利亚海岸附近发生一系列针对商船的无人机袭击事件后，此次选举也引起了人们的关注，这些袭击可能导致大约二十几名国际海员丧生。

无人机袭击引发了国际社会的谴责，并引发了人们对乌克兰战争不断扩大的担忧，促使保加利亚寻求盟国援助以加强其海上安全。

保加利亚政府虽然没有明确指责俄罗斯发动袭击，但总理鲁门·拉德夫表示，袭击的结果“有利于俄罗斯联邦”。

与俄罗斯和西方的关系岌岌可危

两位领先的总统候选人都谴责了这些袭击，但他们在更广泛的乌克兰战争问题上存在分歧。

今年担任看守总理的久罗夫得到了亲西方改革派政党的支持，长期以来一直表示支持乌克兰。在他担任总理期间，他与基辅签署了一项安全合作协议。

“我希望保加利亚在欧洲拥有自己的声音，成为一个可靠的北约盟友，通过充分的准备、强有力的外交和明确的立场来捍卫自己的利益，”他在周四的一次集会上说。

这张照片由保加利亚内政部发布，显示2026年10月13日，在保加利亚比亚拉附近海域，切尔西3号货轮遭到无人机袭击后，正在进行救援行动。[保加利亚内政部 via AP]

前副总统伊奥托娃在拉德夫辞职参加议会选举后于1月份成为代理总统，拉德夫最终赢得了选举，许多政治分析人士认为他的竞选纲领对克里姆林宫十分友好。

拉德夫支持伊奥托娃，他们都呼吁通过外交途径结束战争。

“我的对手认为必须打一场消耗战，”伊奥托娃周四在一次集会上说。“但事实是，我们所有人都是最疲惫不堪的人。”

尽管议会各党派对国家走亲西方道路达成了广泛共识，但基于与俄罗斯的传统历史和文化联系而产生的普遍亲俄情绪分裂了社会，尤其是在莫斯科全面入侵乌克兰之后。

Market Links民调机构总经理多布罗米尔·日夫科夫表示，伊奥托娃是主张保加利亚采取更加中立立场的人之一。

“他们呼吁停止对乌克兰的援助，停止向乌克兰运送武器；我们经常听到他们使用克里姆林宫的言辞和术语，这些言辞和术语直接借用自克里姆林宫的宣传，”他本周早些时候告诉美联社。

预计将进行第二轮投票

候选人还回应了公众对能源价格飙升和通货膨胀加剧的担忧，许多保加利亚农村地区的民众正努力维持生计。

Alpha Research 的民意调查显示，伊奥托娃的支持率为 41%，久罗夫的支持率为 28%。

投票于早上 7 点（格林尼治标准时间 05:00）开始，晚上 8 点（格林尼治标准时间 18:00）结束。

分析人士预计，27 位候选人中没有一人能在第一轮投票中获得赢得选举所需的绝对多数票。

投票率也必须超过 660 万注册选民的 50%，而预计周日的投票率将低于 40%，这意味着很可能在 11 月 1 日进行第二轮投票。