Bulgaria exit polls show Yotova narrowly ahead of Gyurov, runoff set for Nov. 1
Exit polls after voting ended show incumbent President Iliana Yotova only a few points ahead of former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov. Alpha Research put turnout at 22.3%.
Archive image · Photo: Bulgarian Presidency / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5 bg (cropped and resized)
Bulgaria's presidential election is heading for a close finish. An exit poll by Alpha Research as of 7 p.m. local time gave incumbent Iliana Yotova and her running mate Kiril Valchev 35.3%, ahead of former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev with 32.4%. Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov was third with 12.6%. The figures are pollsters' projections, not official results.
Other agencies showed a similar picture. Myara put Yotova at 35.2% and Gyurov at 32.2%, while Trend, as of 6 p.m., had them at 36.9% and 32.1%. Market Links showed the tightest race, at 32.2% to 31.6%. Alpha Research estimated turnout at 22.3%, or about 1.47 million voters.
With no candidate winning a majority according to the exit polls, Yotova and Gyurov are set to face each other in a runoff on Nov. 1, according to Bulgarian media. The Central Election Commission is due to announce official first-round results on Oct. 27.