Bulgaria elects its first woman president, Iliana Yotova

In the second round of Bulgaria’s presidential election on 1 November, all exit polls show a clear win for socialist Iliana Yotova, 62. She becomes the first woman elected president of the country.

A former TV journalist and MEP, she was vice-president under Rumen Radev for almost ten years and has been head of state since January 2026, when he resigned. She was backed by Radev’s party, Progressive Bulgaria, which is now in government. Yotova favours resuming dialogue with Moscow and opposes further military aid to Ukraine.

In the European Parliament, Yotova pushed for Bulgaria and Romania to join Schengen. Her election strengthens the voices in the EU calling for talks with Russia, which matters for the bloc’s common position on the war in Ukraine, a position Spain also supports. RTVE had not reported official results at the time of publication.