The Central Election Commission (CEC) released its first official tally on the night following Bulgaria’s presidential runoff held on November 1, announcing that incumbent President Iliana Iotova and vice‑presidential candidate Kiril Valchev were leading with 57.95% of the vote, while the opposition pair, Andrey Gurov and Georgi Kandev, trailed at 39.01%.
These figures were based on 52.42% of tally sheets processed by the CEC, as reported by the Bulgarian news agency BTA. The preliminary total reached 580,918 votes for Iotova/Valchev and 390,988 for Gurov/Kandev, with 30,473 ballots recording a "None of the above" choice, accounting for 3.04% of the counted votes.
Earlier data from the same election commission, published by TASS several hours earlier, were based on only 17.39% of protocols. The TASS report showed Iotova/Valchev at 57.943% of the votes counted and Gurov/Kandev at 39.007%. Both outlets noted that the initial count represented a small fraction of the total tally sheets yet already reflected the same twenty‑point lead.
While the CEC has not yet completed the full count, the parallel reporting by two state‑linked agencies confirms a consistent pattern: Iotova’s side maintains a comfortable margin of roughly 19 percentage points over the challengers. The opposition spokespersons have yet to formally respond to the preliminary tally, and no official statement has been offered by the CEC regarding the final outcome.
Observers note that the percentage of vote still uncounted, especially in the more remote district commissions, is high, leaving the final result open to further adjustments. Nonetheless, the preliminary numbers suggest a decisive victory for President Iotova and a firm extension of her mandate, with her vice‑presidential partner Kiril Valchev positioned to complete the government’s executive lineup after the ballots close.
