Bulgarians are voting in a presidential election as Russia’s war on Ukraine spreads to the waters off the country’s Black Sea coast. Ahead of Sunday’s vote, President Iliana Iotova, 61, and former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, were leading a field of 27 candidates.
The presidency is largely ceremonial. Major policies must be approved by Parliament, but 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 gained attention after drone attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria’s coast that likely killed some two dozen international seafarers. The strikes drew international condemnation and concern about the war’s growing reach, and Bulgaria sought allied assistance to bolster maritime security. The government has not explicitly blamed Russia, but Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the outcome of the strikes benefits the Russian Federation.
Both leading candidates condemned the strikes, while differing on the wider war. Gyurov, who served as caretaker prime minister this year and is backed by pro-Western reformist parties, has long supported Ukraine and signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv while premier. At a rally on Thursday he said he wants Bulgaria to have its own voice in Europe and to be a reliable NATO ally that defends its interests through preparedness, strong diplomacy and a clear position.
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 both call for a diplomatic end to the war. At a rally on Thursday she said her opponents argue there must be a war of attrition, and that everyone is the most exhausted.
Parties in Parliament broadly agree on a pro-Western path, but pro-Russian sentiments rooted in historical and cultural ties with Russia have divided society since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Dobromir Zhivkov, managing director of the Market Links polling agency, told The Associated Press earlier this week that Iotova is among those who want Bulgaria to take a more neutral position. He said they call for an end to aid and arms deliveries to Ukraine and often use Kremlin rhetoric and terminology borrowed from Kremlin propaganda.
Candidates are also addressing fears about a 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 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 win the outright majority needed in the first round. Turnout must also exceed 50 percent of the 6.6 million registered voters, and Sunday’s turnout is expected to be less than 40 percent, which points to a likely run-off on November 1.