Iliyana Yotova and Andrey Gyurov entered their only direct TV debate before the runoff in the presidential elections with different messages about the role of the head of state. After the end of the conversation, the first assessments did not outline a unanimous winner: some analysts reported a more confident performance by Yotova, while others defined the clash as a conversation mainly about the hard cores of the two candidates.
The debate on Bulgarian National Television was held three days before the runoff on November 1. In the first round, the candidate pair Yotova–Kiril Valchev received 528,951 votes, or 34.76%, and Gyurov–Georgi Kandev – 486,232 votes, or 31.95%. The difference was 42,719 votes with a voter turnout of 22.98%.
Performance ratings
Sociologist Parvan Simeonov said that Yotova was more confident, more convincing in terms of presence and set the tone of the conversation. Political scientist Prof. Rumyana Kolarova, however, said that she did not see a winner, as both spoke mainly to their own audience. According to her, the candidates focused on details for which the viewers did not receive enough context.
Communications expert Diana Damyanova defined the clash as a clear advantage for Yotova, but admitted that the debate will not significantly change the election result. Social anthropologist Haralan Alexandrov also pointed to Yotova as more prepared, while at the same time linking her chances to the economic situation and the impoverishment of the people.
The dispute remained sharp
Earlier, Gyurov presented the presidential institution as a “piano in the living room“ that is bypassed but not used enough. Yotova replied that it is a “well-tuned piano“ that has been fulfilling the role expected by society for years.
The two argued about the powers of the president, the service offices, media freedom, security in the Black Sea, the war in Ukraine, inflation and pardon decisions. Yotova attacked Gyurov for the support that, according to her, his political partners sought from the MRF-NN and Delyan Peevski. Gyurov denied seeking party support and stated that his campaign was civil.
After the debate, the leader of “Continue the Change“ Assen Vassilev accused Yotova of lying and stated: “On Sunday, we will clearly choose not only between ambition and humanity, but also between lies and truth“. Kiril Petkov also disputed her statements about North Macedonia, gas supplies and the contract with “Botas“. These are political assessments of representatives of the formation, not independently established facts.
How the audience reacted
In an online poll by Dir.bg with 2708 votes, 42.9% determined Yotova as the clear winner, and 8.6% gave her a more moderate advantage. 29.4% and 10.2% voted for Gyurov, respectively, while 5.8% indicated a tie. The result does not constitute a sociological survey and cannot measure the attitudes of all voters.
Thus, the first reading of the debate is rather in favor of Yotova in terms of preparation and television presence, but without evidence that the conversation changed the balance before the vote. The decision on the president will be made in the runoff between Yotova and Gyurov on November 1.
Sources: bntnews.bg, 24chasa.bg, clubz.bg