Iliyana Yotova and Andrey Gyurov are qualified for the runoff in the presidential election, exit polls show after the first round. Yotova, who supports dialogue with Moscow, received between 35% and 36.5% of the vote, while Gyurov, supported by the pro-Western opposition, came in second with a score between 32.2% and 32.5%. The data was quoted by BGNES, citing AFP.
The two will face each other in the runoff, scheduled for November 1. Yotova is running in tandem with Kiril Valchev, and Gyurov is a candidate together with Georgi Kandev.
Parallel counts give different results
With a 100% parallel count, the picture remains ambiguous. “Market Links“ reports a lead for Gyurov and Kandev with 33.5% against 32.7% for Yotova and Valchev. According to “Measure“, however, Yotova and Valchev lead with 35% against 31.9% for their main rivals. “Alpha Research“ gives 34.6% for Yotova and Valchev and 32.7% for Gyurov and Kandev.
The discrepancy between the agencies means that the final order of the first round will be confirmed with the official count. There are currently no final results from the Central Election Commission.
Low turnout and battle for the votes of the dropped candidates
The voter turnout is around 22%, according to data published by BGNES. Kostadin Kostadinov and Petar Volgin are in third place with support between 12.4% and 12.6% in the various parallel counts.
„The result on November 1 will largely depend on the voters of „Vazrazhdane““, said Kostadin Kostadinov.Thus, the votes for the dropped candidates are emerging as one of the key factors before the runoff. Yotova's campaign headquarters has already called for mobilization and support from voters of all political forces.
Sources: bgnes.bg, bntnews.bg