Exit polls show Bulgarian President Iotova winning presidential runoff over Gyurov

Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova won the presidential runoff held on Sunday, November 1, 2026, according to exit polls, which put her on track to become the country's first elected woman president. Three exit polls gave Iotova between 50.7% and 52.5% of the vote, against between 43.4% and 44% for Andrey Gyurov, a banker and former caretaker prime minister backed by the pro-Western opposition. Iotova, 61, is an ally of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, favors dialogue with Moscow and opposes military aid to Ukraine. She took over the largely ceremonial post in January, when Radev resigned to run in, and win, a parliamentary election. Exit polls put turnout at about 27 to 29 percent, slightly above the record-low 23 percent in last week's first round. The vote took place amid security concerns after a series of drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea off Bulgaria in October, which left 21 people missing in suspected spillover from the Russia-Ukraine war. Official results are expected on Monday, with partial official results due later on Sunday.

Right-leaning coverage, represented here by the Washington Times, is a short item. Its headline and excerpt say exit polls suggest Iotova, spelled Yotova, is the apparent winner and would be the first elected female president, and that partial official results are due Sunday. It gives no vote shares, turnout, candidate backgrounds, policy positions or voter voices. Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while right-leaning and alternative outlets had. The alternative outlets, The Hindu and Al Jazeera, differ by adding detail: both give the exit-poll percentages, describe Iotova's stance on Moscow and Ukraine, and tie the vote to the Black Sea drone attacks and the 21 missing people. Al Jazeera also adds turnout figures and quotes from two Sofia voters who said they disliked both candidates or chose the lesser evil. All three agree that exit polls favor Iotova and that she would be the first elected woman president.