SOFIA, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- A runoff is expected in Bulgaria's presidential election, according to partial results published by the country's electoral commission on Monday.
With 95.29 percent of the votes counted, Bulgaria's incumbent President Iliana Iotova is currently ahead of the other 26 candidates, receiving 34.598 percent of the ballots cast in Sunday's election, while former Bulgarian caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov came second with 32.038 percent.
A candidate must win more than half of the votes to be elected in the first round. If no candidate wins a majority, a run-off must be held within seven days between the two top candidates. The runoff is expected on Nov. 1.
Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of the Revival party, came third with 12.624 percent on Sunday.
The Bulgarian president is elected directly by voters for a term of five years. Iotova's term will expire at the end of January 2027. ■
