SOFIA — Bulgarians vote in presidential elections on Sunday as Russia's war in Ukraine spreads to the waters off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, Reuters reported. Polls place acting President Iliana Iotova, 61, and ex-caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, as leaders in a race of 27 candidates. Al Jazeera, reporting AP and Reuters, likewise said the two leading candidates condemn the recent deadly Black Sea drone strikes but differ on the Ukraine war more broadly.

Source: Reuters, Oct 25, 2026

While the presidency is largely ceremonial, Sunday's vote has taken on added significance after a series of drone attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast that likely killed some two dozen international seafarers, Reuters reported. The strikes sparked international condemnation and concerns about the growing reach of the war in Ukraine, and prompted the government to seek allied assistance to bolster maritime security, Reuters said.

Source: Reuters, Oct 25, 2026

Bulgaria has stopped short of directly accusing Russia of carrying out the attacks, but Prime Minister Rumen Radev said their outcome “benefits the Russian Federation”, Reuters reported. Both leading candidates condemned the strikes, but they differ over the broader war: Gyurov, who served as caretaker prime minister this year, is supported by pro-Western, reformist parties, has long expressed support for Ukraine and signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv during his time as premier, Reuters said. “I want Bulgaria to have a voice of its own in Europe. A reliable NATO ally that defends its interests through preparedness, strong diplomacy and a clear position,” Gyurov said at a rally on Thursday, according to Reuters.

Source: Reuters, Oct 25, 2026

Iotova, formerly vice president, became acting president in January after Radev resigned to enter the parliamentary race, which he won on what many political analysts considered a Kremlin-friendly ticket, Reuters reported. Radev supports Iotova, and they both call for a diplomatic end to the war. A victory for Iotova would make her Bulgaria's first elected female president. “My opponents argue that there must be a war of attrition,” she told a rally on Thursday. “The truth is, we are all the ones who are most exhausted,” Reuters quoted her as saying.

Source: Reuters, Oct 25, 2026