Bulgaria is holding the first round of its presidential election on October 25, but voter turnout is significantly lower than five years ago. As of 4:00 p.m., only 16.04% of citizens had voted, compared with 24.12% in the 2021 election. This was reported by Bulgarian National Television, citing the Central Election Commission, writes UNN.
Details
Around 6.6 million citizens are eligible to vote, and polling stations will be open until 8:00 p.m. local time.
The main contenders are considered to be incumbent President Iliana Iotova, who is continuing Prime Minister Rumen Radev's political course, and former head of government Andrey Gyurov, who supports Ukraine and opposes rapprochement with Russia.
Will there be a second round?
To win in the first round, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote, provided that a majority of voters participate. Due to the low turnout, holding a second round is becoming practically inevitable.
If no candidate meets the necessary conditions, a runoff will take place on November 1.
The Central Election Commission of Bulgaria must announce the official results within 48 hours after voting ends.