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Posters featuring independent presidential candidate Andrey Gyurov and his vice-presidential running mate, Georgi Kandev are displayed on screens during their campaign's closing event in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, on Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)
By The Canadian Press

Polls open for presidential election in Bulgaria dominated by economic hardship and Ukraine war

Oct 24, 2026 | 10:21 PM

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarians are heading to the polls Sunday to elect their next president in a campaign centered on growing economic hardship and drone attacks on Black Sea shipping.

The vote will also be the first major test for the Moscow-friendly Progressive Bulgaria party of Prime Minister Rumen Radev after its election triumph in April.

Despite a record number of candidates, the race is expected to be decided in a runoff between incumbent President Iliana Yotova, backed by Radev’s party, and former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, who is backed by pro-Western opposition parties.

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