SOFIA, Nov 2 (Reuters) – Bulgaria has elected Iliana Iotova as its first female president, official results showed on Monday, providing a political boost for Prime Minister Rumen Radev who had backed her for the largely ceremonial role.
Iotova, 61, won 57.6% of the votes cast in Sunday’s run-off contest, while her rival, former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, won 39.5%.
The presidential vote comes against the backdrop of a series of drone attacks in the past month on merchant ships off the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, a NATO and European Union member state. The attacks have killed at least 24 seafarers, sparked international condemnation and stoked concerns about the growing reach of the war in Ukraine.
Both Iotova and Gyurov have condemned the attacks. Radev said the strikes’ outcome “benefits the Russian Federation”.
Iotova, a former member of the European Parliament, became Bulgaria’s acting president in January after Radev resigned to enter — and win — a parliamentary race on what many political analysts considered a Kremlin-friendly ticket.
Both he and Iotova have called for a diplomatic end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Gyurov, who served as caretaker prime minister this year, secured the support of pro-Western, reformist parties during his presidential campaign and he has long expressed support for Ukraine. He signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv during his time as premier.
In Bulgaria, parliament holds most decision-making powers.
(Reporting by Alex Lefkowitz; Writing by Antonis Pothitos and Edward McAllister; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Gareth Jones)
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