SOFIA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria's incumbent President Iliana Iotova has won Sunday's presidential runoff, securing a new mandate, according to official results announced by the country's Central Electoral Commission on Tuesday.
Iotova and her running mate, Kiril Valchev, received 57.58 percent of the vote, defeating their rivals, former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov and his running mate, Georgi Kandev, who secured 39.47 percent.
The runoff followed a closely contested first round on Oct. 25, in which Iotova received 34.76 percent of the vote, narrowly ahead of Gurov with 31.95 percent. Neither candidate managed to secure the more than 50 percent required for an outright victory.
Voter turnout remained relatively low in both rounds of the presidential election. Approximately 28 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots on Sunday, up from around 22.5 percent in the first round. However, both figures were significantly below the 40.5 percent turnout recorded in the previous presidential election in 2021.
Iotova, 62, served nearly two full terms as vice president alongside Rumen Radev before succeeding him as head of state following his resignation in January. With her election, she became Bulgaria's first woman to be directly elected president.
Her running mate, Valchev, will assume the position of vice president. Born in 1973, he has served as director general of the Bulgarian News Agency since January 2021.
The Bulgarian president and vice president are elected directly by voters for a five-year term. Iotova's current presidential mandate is due to expire at the end of January 2027. ■
