A Woman Has Been Elected to the Presidency of Bulgaria for the First Time

Iliana Yotova has won the second round of the presidential election in Bulgaria, becoming the first woman to hold the presidency in the country's history. According to the election results, Yotova secured 58.2 percent of the vote, while her opponent, Andrey Gyurov, received 38.6 percent.

For context, Iliana Yotova was born on October 24, 1964, in Sofia. She studied Bulgarian philology at Sofia University and also completed advanced training in public administration in France.

Before entering politics, Yotova worked as a reporter, editor, and presenter for Bulgarian National Television from 1990 to 1997. Later, she became active within the Bulgarian Socialist Party.

From 2007 to 2017, she served as a Member of the European Parliament. In 2017, she assumed the office of Vice President alongside Rumen Radev and was re-elected for a second term in 2021. Following Radev's resignation in January 2026, she assumed presidential powers in accordance with the constitution.

Furthermore, Iliana Yotova has expressed opposition to providing military aid to Ukraine and has advocated for maintaining dialogue with Moscow.