Il Nuovo Postiglione - Bulgarian president wins runoff election: exit polls

The vote took place amid security concerns in the EU and NATO member following a series of drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea.

The race for the largely ceremonial post pitted Iotova, an ally of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, against Andrey Gyurov, a banker and former caretaker prime minister backed by the pro-Western opposition.

Iotova is projected to receive between 50.7 percent and 52.5 percent of the vote, compared to between 43.4 percent and 44 percent for Gyurov, according to three different exit polls.

Iotova took over the post of president earlier this year from Radev, with Sunday's vote putting her on track to become the first elected woman president in the country of 6.4 million people.

Several vessels were struck in the Black Sea off Bulgaria in October, leaving 21 people missing, in suspected spillover from the Russia-Ukraine war.

While centre-left Radev has said the attacks appeared to serve Russian interests and summoned the Russian ambassador, his government insists there is so far no evidence directly linking them to Moscow.

- 'Lesser evil' -

At a polling station in Sofia, 64-year-old teacher Krassimira Kostova said she voted despite dissatisfaction with both candidates.

"I don't like either of the two candidates, but I don't like the return of communism we've been seeing in recent years either. That's why I came to vote," she told AFP.

Petar Doitchinov, a 67-year-old retired engineer, said he had skipped the first round because he expected a runoff.

He said he voted for "the lesser evil", as neither candidate matched his "vision of democracy".

In the first round of voting last week, Iotova took 35 percent, with Gyurov on 32 percent -- a much narrower gap than the 20-point lead for Iotova predicted by opinion polls.

The first round recorded turnout of 23 percent, and election officials were expecting higher participation in the runoff.

- 'Strong Bulgaria' -

After voting in Sofia, Iotova, 62, said she wanted "Bulgaria to be strong in a strong Europe" and remain "sovereign in its decisions".

A longtime ally of Radev, she supports Bulgaria's EU and NATO membership while arguing that peace in Ukraine can be achieved only through negotiations.

Gyurov, 50, said after voting in Blagoevgrad that he had voted for a "secure, stable and European Bulgaria".

In a television debate before the runoff, Gyurov criticised Iotova for not explicitly blaming Russia for the Black Sea attacks.

"Russia must stop its aggression so that the next steps can be taken," said Gyurov, a former deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank.

Iotova maintained that "peace can come only through negotiations".

Radev has also argued that a ceasefire and peace talks offer the best chance of preventing further attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea.

He has presented Iotova as a pair of "safe hands".

A former journalist and member of the European Parliament, Iotova was elected vice-president alongside Radev in 2016 and 2021.

She took over as president this year when Radev stepped down to run in parliamentary elections.

Historically close to Russia, Bulgaria remains deeply divided over its relationship with Moscow.

O.Nardolillo--INP