In brief
Preliminary vote tallies from Bulgaria’s presidential runoff indicate incumbent Iliana Iotova and Kiril Valchev ahead with 57.95% of the votes counted. TASS and BTA reported different processing rates—17.39% vs. 52.42%—yet they concur on a decisive margin over challengers Andrey Gurov, Georgi Kandev and a small “None of the above” fraction.
Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova and Vice‑presidential running mate Kiril Valchev are reported to lead the second round of the country's presidential election, according to preliminary figures from the Central Election Commission (CEC). The ballots were cast on November 1, and the results were made public by the CEC in the evening of November 2, the source notes. The reported percentages place the incumbents well ahead of the challengers, Andrey Gurov and Georgi Kandev.
TASS reported that the CEC released the first official count, with Iotova and Valchev holding 57.943% of the votes processed as of 11:00 p.m. local time. The report added that this figure was based on 17.39% of the election commission protocols, indicating an early stage of tallying that covered less than one‑fifth of the total ballots. The opponents had secured 39.007% of the vote at that point.
BTA offered a later domestic update, stating that as of the same evening, 52.42% of the tally sheets had been processed by district election commissions. Under that count, Iotova and Valchev had 57.95% of the votes—580,918 votes in total—while Gurov and Kandev trailed with 39.01%—390,988 votes. BTA’s version also recorded 3.04% of the ballots, or 30,473 voters, selecting ‘‘None of the above.’’
Source Comparison
The two reports agree that Iotova and Valchev maintain a clear lead, but they differ in the extent of processing and the exact figures. TASS’s preliminary figures are based on a much smaller sample—17.39%—whereas BTA’s reflect over half of the tally sheets. This disparity in the rate of processing explains the slight variance in the reported percentages. Both sources, however, place the incumbents roughly at 58% of the vote, with the challengers near 39%.
Given that neither outline a full count, observers note that the final outcome could shift as more protocols are reviewed. The timing of the reports—TASS promptly after midnight local time and BTA a bit later—suggests an evolving tally rather than a static snapshot. Nonetheless, the lead held by Iotova is consistent across both outlets.
Neither source references any opposition claims of irregularities or challenges to the tallying process. According to the reports, the ongoing counts continue to be reported by the CEC on its website, and both media outlets highlight the provisional nature of the results.
Until the Central Election Commission completes its full assessment of all counting protocols, the numbers will remain subject to change. The current data, however, confirms that in Bulgaria’s presidential election runoff, the incumbent president Iliana Iotova and vice‑presidential candidate Kiril Valchev are in the lead with just under 58% of the counted votes, distant from the combined tally of the challengers.
