Bulgaria elects Iliana Iotova as president, pro-Russia candidate defeats pro-Western rival

Iliana Iotova has triumphed in Bulgaria's presidential runoff, unseating the pro-western contender, Andrey Gyurov. (Pic Credit: Reuters) Bulgaria's president Iliana Iotova, who supports diplomatic engagement with Moscow and opposes military assistance to Ukraine, has won the presidential runoff held on Sunday, securing a decisive lead over her pro-western rival Andrey Gyurov.The largely ceremonial presidential contest saw Iotova, an ally of prime minister Rumen Radev, face Gyurov, a banker and former caretaker prime minister backed by the pro-Western opposition.According to estimates released by several polling agencies, Iotova secured between 57.4% and 58.2% of the votes, comfortably ahead of Gyurov, who received between 38.6% and 39.6%.Celebrating her victory alongside Radev, Iotova said her campaign had centred on "incomes, peace and the challenges that lie ahead".European commission president Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Iotova on her win. In a message on X, she said she looked forward to continuing cooperation with Bulgaria on issues ranging from security and defence to competitiveness and energy independence.Black Sea tensions dominate election backdropThe election took...