For the first time in history: Bulgaria elects a woman as president

Iliyana Yotova was elected president of Bulgaria, the first woman in the role, after winning the second round with 57.58% of the vote against Andrey Gyurov. Yotova, a supporter of Israel, has been serving as interim president since the beginning of the year.

For the first time in Bulgaria's history, a woman has been elected president of the country. Iliyana Yotova, 61, won the second round of elections held this morning (Monday) with 57.58% of the vote, about 1.1 million ballots, compared to her opponent Andrey Gyurov who received 39.47% (749,500 votes). Yotova, representing the Bulgarian Socialist Party, has been serving as interim president since the beginning of the year following the resignation of former president Rumen Radev, who became prime minister last May. In the first round on October 25, 2026, no majority was achieved, and Yotova came first with 34.76% compared to 31.95% for Gyurov. Yotova supports a diplomatic end to the Russia-Ukraine war and opposes military aid to Ukraine, while Gyurov is supported by reformist and pro-Western parties. The article notes that Yotova is considered a staunch supporter of Israel, condemned Hamas after the October 7 massacre, and called for the disarmament of the organization.