Bulgaria holds the second round of its presidential election on Sunday, with interim President Iliana Iotova facing former caretaker Prime Minister Andrei Giurov. The vote takes place against a backdrop of political instability in the country, which has held eight parliamentary elections in the past five years, IPN reports.

Voter turnout in the first round of the presidential election was below 23%, a record low for Bulgaria, reports france24.

Iliana Iotova, the country’s former vice president, took office as head of state in January following Rumen Radev’s resignation. She is backed by the Progressive Bulgaria party, led by Radev, who is now prime minister.

Andrei Giurov is an economist and former deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank. He served as caretaker prime minister ahead of the April 2026 parliamentary elections and is backed by pro-Western reformist opposition parties.

The election campaign was also marked by debates over Bulgaria’s foreign policy direction, particularly its relations with Russia, Ukraine and its Western partners. The two candidates have differing foreign policy visions: Iliana Iotova advocates improving relations with Russia and pursuing a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine, while Andrei Giurov supports Ukraine and Bulgaria’s pro-Western orientation.