In brief
Bulgaria opened its polling stations on Sunday, November 1, 2026, for the second round of the presidential and vice‑presidential election, with incumbent President Iliana Iotova and Kiril Valchev facing challenger Andrey Gurov and Georgi Kandev. Interior Ministry officials reported a calm start, noting 415 reports of alleged violations—mostly vote‑buying—received before 8 a.m. Eight criminal proceedings were opened, 1,822 warning notices issued, 346 police operations conducted, and 10 detentions made, according to the ministry. Exit polls are expected at 8 p.m., with official results due no later than Wednesday.
On Sunday, November 1, 2026, Bulgaria opened polling stations for the presidential and vice‑presidential runoff, with incumbent President Iliana Iotova and Kiril Valchev competing against challenger Andrey Gurov and Georgi Kandev.
The Interior Ministry said the election began peacefully, with no major incidents reported, but noted that 415 violations of election legislation had been reported before 8 a.m., largely concerning vote‑buying.
Among the reports, 305 were related to vote‑buying, 34 to unlawful campaigning, one to corporate voting, and 75 to other election‑related violations. Eight criminal proceedings have been initiated by regional directorates of the Interior Ministry, while 1,822 warning notices were issued under the Ministry Act.
The ministry also recorded 346 specialized police operations to protect citizens’ political rights and detained 10 individuals under the Interior Ministry Act. Assistance was provided to regional and section election commissions in 12 cases.
Exit polls for the runoff are scheduled to be released at 8 p.m., with official results expected by Wednesday, according to Xinhua.
