Bulgarians vote in presidential run-off amid Black Sea tensions

Voters in Bulgaria weigh economic challenges and attacks on ships in a race marked by record low turnout.

A man votes at a polling station during the second round of the presidential election in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria [Stoyan Nenov/Reuters]

Voting is under way in a Bulgarian presidential run-off marked by growing regional security threats and domestic economic concerns.

President Iliana Iotova, 61, led over former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, in the first round but fell short of the 50 percent threshold needed to win. The first round drew record low turnout . Only 23 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot, according to election officials.

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Exit ‌polls will be published after voting ends at 8pm (18:00 GMT) on Sunday, with a result expected on Monday.

The presidential vote comes against the backdrop of a series of drone attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast in the past month, which have sparked international condemnation and concerns about the growing reach of Russia’s war ⁠on Ukraine.

About two dozen seafarers are feared dead, and ⁠the strikes have prompted the government to seek help from Bulgaria’s allies to bolster maritime security. On Wednesday, a Greek container ship sank after being hit by sea drones.

Both leading presidential candidates have condemned the attacks. ⁠Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who backs Iotova, said the strikes’ outcome “benefits the Russian Federation”. They have both called for ⁠a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine.

A victory for ⁠Iotova would make her Bulgaria’s first elected female president. She became acting president in January after Radev resigned to enter and win a parliamentary race on what many political analysts considered a Kremlin-friendly ‌ticket.

Gyurov, who served as caretaker prime minister this year, is supported 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.

Gyurov said he wants Bulgaria to be a reliable NATO ally able to stand for up its interests with strong diplomacy and a firm position.

A host of right-leaning political figures, among them ex-Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, have expressed support for Gyurov.

保加利亚选民在选举中权衡经济挑战和船只袭击事件，而此次选举的投票率创历史新低。

一名男子在保加利亚布拉戈耶夫格勒的投票站参加总统选举第二轮投票。[Stoyan Nenov/路透社]

保加利亚总统选举第二轮投票正在进行中，此次选举面临着日益严重的地区安全威胁和国内经济问题。

61岁的总统伊利亚娜·约托娃在首轮投票中领先于50岁的前看守总理安德烈·久罗夫，但未能达到赢得大选所需的50%的得票率。首轮投票率创历史新低。据选举官员称，只有23%的合格选民投了票。

北约将在无人机袭击后向黑海增派巡逻机（共3项，此为第1项）

保加利亚民众在俄罗斯对乌克兰战争的阴影下投票选举总统（共3条记录，此为第2条）

保加利亚大选因投票率低而进入第二轮投票（共3条，此为第3条）

出口民调将于周日晚上 8 点（格林尼治标准时间 18:00）投票结束后公布，预计周一公布结果。

此次总统选举的背景是，过去一个月保加利亚黑海沿岸发生了一系列针对商船的无人机袭击事件，引发了国际社会的谴责，并引发了人们对俄罗斯对乌克兰战争影响范围不断扩大的担忧。

约有二十多名海员恐已遇难，此次袭击事件促使保加利亚政府寻求盟友帮助，以加强海上安全。周三，一艘希腊集装箱船在遭到海上无人机袭击后沉没。

两位主要总统候选人都谴责了此次袭击。支持约托娃的俄罗斯总理鲁门·拉德夫表示，空袭的结果“有利于俄罗斯联邦”。他们都呼吁通过外交途径结束乌克兰战争。

如果伊奥托娃胜选，她将成为保加利亚首位民选女总统。今年1月，拉德夫辞职参选并赢得议会选举后，伊奥托娃成为代理总统。许多政治分析人士认为，拉德夫的竞选策略是亲克里姆林宫的。

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，并且长期以来一直表示支持乌克兰。

他在担任总理期间与基辅签署了安全合作协议。

久罗夫表示，他希望保加利亚成为一个可靠的北约盟友，能够以强有力的外交手段和坚定的立场维护自身利益。

包括前总理博伊科·鲍里索夫在内的许多右翼政治人物都表示支持久罗夫。