At 99.94%: Iotova 34.76%, Gyurov 31.95% – Radev calls vote a "life and death battle"
With nearly all tally sheets processed, the gap ahead of the Nov. 1 runoff stands at 2.8 points. Prime Minister Radev congratulated Iotova and sharply attacked her opponents.
Archive image · Photo: Bulgarian Presidency / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5 bg (cropped and resized)
With 99.94% of tally sheets processed, the ticket of Iliana Iotova and Kiril Valchev has 34.76% and Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev 31.95%, according to Central Election Commission data as of 9 a.m. Monday. Kostadin Kostadinov follows with 12.54%, Radostin Vasilev with 4.61% and Ivelin Mihaylov with 3.79%. The option "I do not support anyone" drew 4.43%. The data are preliminary.
That makes a runoff between the top two on Sunday, Nov. 1, certain. Turnout was just over 22%, according to Bulgarian National Radio.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev, whose Progressive Bulgaria party backs Iotova, congratulated her on the sidelines of the Sofia Economic Forum. According to BTA, he described the election as a "life and death battle" for the backers of governments built from politically incompatible parties and said they "wouldn't even hesitate to drag us into the war."