Bulgaria Presidential election 2026 — Live Results & Map

Figures from official electoral authorities · Updated 2026-10-18
Upcoming election
Live results will appear here on this page once counting begins on election day. This page updates automatically as official figures are released.

Presidential tickets, in ballot order

The ballot carries 27 tickets of a presidential and a vice-presidential candidate, in the order the Central Election Commission drew by lot on 23 September 2026 in the National Assembly building; a voter marks one number. Seven tickets were put up by parties and twenty by initiative committees, which is all the commission's register records — a committee's ticket may have party support that the register does not show. One row has changed since the order was promulgated: on the evening of 24 September the commission declared the registration of ballot No. 12's vice-presidential candidate, Sergey Indzhov, invalid, after a records check found that he had taken Soviet citizenship as an infant and so was not a Bulgarian citizen by birth as the constitution requires, and registered Aleksandar Garibov in his place on the same number. The State Gazette, which printed the drawn order the next morning, still carries the earlier name.

In office and the alliances

In office now

Iliana Iotova has been President of Bulgaria since 23 January 2026, the first woman to hold the office. She was elected vice-president on Rumen Radev's ticket in 2016 and again in 2021 and moved up when Radev resigned the presidency to enter party politics; the Constitutional Court ended his powers on 23 January. Radev's new party, Progressive Bulgaria, then won the snap parliamentary election of 19 April 2026 with 131 of the 240 seats — the first single-party majority since 1997 — and the National Assembly elected him prime minister by 122 votes to 70 with 36 abstentions, his cabinet taking office on 8 May 2026. The presidency is largely ceremonial but appoints caretaker governments and can return legislation to parliament; the term Iotova is completing ends in January 2027.

Alliances and endorsements

Iotova is standing for a full term of her own, with Kiril Valchev as her candidate for vice-president. The ticket was raised by an initiative committee rather than by a party. Progressive Bulgaria, the governing party whose leader she served as vice-president, supports it, and so does VMRO; the Bulgarian Socialist Party's national council confirmed its support unanimously and set up a national campaign headquarters for her, its leader Krum Zarkov saying the party entered the election united and fully coordinated. Radev himself cannot stand: the constitution allows no one to be elected president more than twice, and he was elected in 2016 and 2021.

Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev, also raised by an initiative committee, carry the declared support of the three parties of the former reformist bloc. The executive council of Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria resolved on 11 September to back them in terms it called unequivocal and unconditional, calling them the alternative to the left populism of the present government; Yes, Bulgaria announced the same day; and the national council of We Continue the Change decided unanimously the day after. Vazrazhdane is standing its own leadership, Kostadin Kostadinov with Petar Volgin.

The two largest parties of the opposition have put up nobody. GERB's executive commission decided, the day before registration closed, that the party would neither nominate a ticket of its own nor support anyone else's — the first presidential election it has stood out of — and its members of parliament repeated that at a briefing; its leader Boyko Borisov has called for the centre-right to unite behind one candidate without naming one, and has left open the possibility of backing Gyurov and Kandev. DPS registered for the election but nominated no one and declared support for no one. No published survey of the race gives any ticket both of the things the first round requires — more than half the votes cast and a turnout of at least half the electorate — so all of them point to a run-off on 1 November.

What the polls suggest

Every published survey of this race puts the Iotova–Valchev ticket clearly ahead, with Gyurov–Kandev second and Vazrazhdane's Kostadinov–Volgin third; the MECH and Velichie tickets come next and the rest of the field is in low single figures or below. Alpha Research, in fieldwork at the turn of the month, and Myara, in fieldwork overlapping it, both measure the lead as wide, and Trend, surveying for the daily 24 chasa, measured the widest gap of all. All of them also measure willingness to vote far below the half of the electorate the first round would need, which is why each describes a run-off as near-certain rather than possible. Alpha Research adds two cautions: a large share of those who have decided to vote say they could still change their minds before polling day, and the supporters of GERB and DPS, left without a party lead, are splitting or staying home rather than moving as a bloc — so a further fall in turnout, or either party moving late, would matter more than the gap suggests.

A summary of published opinion polls, not a projection. ElectioMap publishes no poll figures and calls no result before the count.

About this election

The essentials

Bulgaria holds a presidential election on Sunday 25 October 2026, with a run-off on Sunday 1 November if no ticket wins outright, to choose a successor to President Rumen Radev, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term. The National Assembly fixed the date at the end of July 2026, choosing the earlier of the two Sundays available to it under the constitutional window that runs from two to three months before the incumbent's term expires in January 2027. The vote comes after years of extraordinary political instability, during which Bulgaria has held a long series of snap parliamentary elections amid repeated failures to form durable governments. In that context the presidency — though largely ceremonial — has taken on outsized importance, because the head of state appoints caretaker governments when parliament cannot, a power Radev used repeatedly.

How the vote works

The President of Bulgaria is elected directly for a five-year term and may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. Candidates run on a joint ticket with a vice-presidential running mate. The system is two-round: a candidate is elected in the first round only by winning more than half of the votes cast with a turnout of at least 50%; otherwise the two leading candidates proceed to a run-off the following Sunday, where a simple majority wins. A "none of the above" option has been on the ballot since 2016. While the president's domestic powers are limited — Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic in which the prime minister leads the government — the office carries moral authority, a veto that parliament can override, and the pivotal role of naming caretaker cabinets and scheduling elections.

The political landscape

Bulgarian politics has been fragmented and volatile. The centre-right GERB, led by long-serving former prime minister Boyko Borisov, remains the largest party but has struggled to govern without controversy; the reformist, anti-corruption bloc We Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (PP–DB) emerged as its main challenger; the nationalist, pro-Russian Vazrazhdane (Revival) has grown rapidly; and the movement representing the Turkish minority, historically the DPS, has split into rival factions. The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) is a diminished but persistent force. President Radev, originally backed by the Socialists, governed above the party fray and clashed repeatedly with Borisov; his vice-president, Iliana Iotova, is among the figures mentioned as potential candidates to succeed him.

The last election (2021)

Rumen Radev won a second term comfortably in November 2021, defeating the GERB-backed academic Anastas Gerdzhikov.

Candidate (2021)1st roundRun-off
Rumen Radev (independent)49.42%66.72%
Anastas Gerdzhikov (GERB-backed)22.83%31.80%

Radev ran with Iliana Iotova as his vice-presidential candidate. Turnout was low, a recurring feature of Bulgarian elections during the instability of recent years.

What to watch in 2026

The open question is who replaces Radev, and whether the presidency continues as a counterweight to the parties or aligns more closely with one bloc. With GERB, PP–DB and Vazrazhdane all likely to field or back candidates, the race tests the relative strength of the establishment right, the reformist centre and the nationalist insurgency. Bulgaria's path on the euro (it is moving toward eurozone membership), its stance on Russia and Ukraine, corruption and the rule of law, and the durability of any government in Sofia all hang over the contest.

Geography of the vote

Bulgarian presidential races tend to follow familiar lines: GERB and the right poll strongly in many provincial towns and among diaspora voters, the Socialists retain pockets of older, rural support, parties of the Turkish minority dominate the south-east and north-east, and the reformist bloc is strongest in Sofia and larger cities. ElectioMap will map the result across Bulgaria's 28 provinces as official figures are released.

How ElectioMap will cover it

This page will show the live first-round result and, if needed, the run-off, with a provincial map, as counting proceeds. Figures are sourced from Bulgaria's Central Election Commission (CIK), the body that administers and certifies the vote.

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2026 Bulgarian presidential election?

The first round is on Sunday 25 October 2026 and the run-off, if one is needed, on Sunday 1 November. Parliament set the date at the end of July 2026. The president serves a five-year term and is sworn in in January 2027.

Who is president now?

Iliana Iotova, the first woman to hold the office. She was Rumen Radev's elected vice-president and took over on 23 January 2026, when the Constitutional Court ended his powers after he resigned to enter party politics. Radev went on to win the April 2026 parliamentary election and became prime minister in May; he cannot stand again for the presidency, as the constitution allows no one to be elected to it more than twice.

How is Bulgaria's president elected?

Directly, on a joint ticket with a vice-presidential running mate, by a two-round majority system. To win in the first round a candidate needs over half the votes with turnout of at least 50%; otherwise the top two contest a run-off.

What happened in 2021?

Rumen Radev won a second term comfortably, taking 49.42% in the first round and 66.72% in the run-off against the GERB-backed Anastas Gerdzhikov (31.80%). His running mate was Iliana Iotova.

When will results be available?

Bulgaria's Central Election Commission reports preliminary results on election night. Live first-round figures and, if needed, the run-off, with a provincial map, will appear on this page as counting begins.

Compiled and reviewed from official results by ElectioMap. See our data methodology.

Understanding this election

All Bulgaria elections & results →