Bulgaria's presidential election first round underway

Bulgaria's presidential election first round is underway. 27 candidates are running.

According to Reuters, polls show incumbent President Iliana Iotova, 61, and former acting prime minister Andrei Gyurov, 50, leading. According to an Alpha Research poll, Iotova has 41% of the vote, while Gyurov has 28%.

The presidency is largely ceremonial, but the vote has gained special significance after drone attacks on commercial ships near Bulgaria's Black Sea coast reportedly killed more than 20 foreign seafarers. Both leading candidates condemned the attacks, but their positions on the war in Ukraine differ.

Gyurov was the caretaker prime minister earlier this year. He is backed by pro-Western and reformist parties. He has long openly expressed support for Ukraine, and as prime minister he signed an agreement with Kyiv on security cooperation.

Iotova was vice president and became acting president in January, after Rumen Radev left the post to take part in the parliamentary elections. Radev supports Iotova, and both favor ending the war through diplomacy. If she wins, Iotova will become Bulgaria's first elected female president.

If no candidate wins a majority of the votes, a second round of the election will be held on November 1.