Ilijana Jotowa is predicted to remain the President of Bulgaria. According to parallel polls conducted by Alpha Research and Mjara, she averages nearly 58 percent of the vote, while the former Prime Minister Andrej Gjurow holds approximately 39 percent.
Both candidates are officially running as independent. Jotowa, who has been in office since Rumen Radew stepped down at the beginning of the year, is backed by a center-left coalition. In contrast, Gjurow is the candidate favored by more conservative elements.
While Jotowa affirms support for the country’s EU and NATO membership, she opposes providing military aid to Ukraine. During her campaign, she positioned herself as “The President of Peace,” advocating for dialogue with Russia.
In the initial ballot a week ago, Jotowa achieved 35 percent of the vote, just ahead of Gjurow’s 32 percent, performing significantly worse than earlier predictions suggested. At that time, voter turnout reached a historical low of 23 percent. In the current runoff election, turnout has climbed to around 27 percent.
