Bulgarians vote in presidential run-off amid Black Sea tensions

Voters in Bulgaria weigh economic challenges and attacks on ships in a race marked by record low turnout.Published On 1 Nov 20261 Nov 2026Voting is under way in a Bulgarian presidential run-off marked by growing regional security threats and domestic economic concerns.President Iliana Iotova, 61, led over former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, in the first round but fell short of the 50 percent threshold needed to win. The first round drew record low turnout. Only 23 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot, according to election officials.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3NATO to send additional patrol planes to Black Sea after drone attackslist 2 of 3Bulgarians vote for president in shadow of Russia’s war on Ukrainelist 3 of 3Bulgaria’s election heads to a run-off amid low voter turnoutend of listExit ‌polls will be published after voting ends at 8pm (18:00 GMT) on Sunday, with a result expected on Monday.The presidential vote comes against the backdrop of a series of drone attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast in the past month, which have sparked international condemnation and concerns about the growing reach of Russia’s war ⁠on Ukrain...