Runoffs in presidential elections in Bulgaria have been losing voters for two decades. Since 2006, turnout in the second round has consistently been lower than in the first, according to data from the Central Election Commission.
The trend will be tested again on November 1, when the second round of presidential elections is scheduled for 2026. The first round on October 25 was held with a record low turnout of 22.98% - 1,525,034 voters voted. This is the lowest interest in a presidential vote ever recorded in the country.
The decline began in 2006.
In 2006, 42.5% of voters reached the polls in the first round, and 41.2% in the runoff. The difference is 1.3 percentage points.
The decline deepened in 2011. Then, the activity decreased from 51.8% in the first round to 48% in the second, or by 3.8 percentage points. In 2016, the decline was from 57.5% to 51.6% - by 5.9 points.
In the 2021 elections, the difference is again significant. Turnout dropped from 40.5% in the first round to 34.8% in the runoff, a drop of 5.7 percentage points. The 2021 voter turnout data was published by the CEC.
In the 1990s, runoffs mobilized more people
The history of presidential elections shows a different picture at the beginning of the transition. In 1992, when the first direct presidential elections were held, turnout increased from 75.4% in the first round to 75.9% in the second.
In 1996, the increase was smaller - from 61.1% to 61.5%. The most significant mobilization of voters between the two rounds was recorded in 2001, when turnout jumped from 41.6% to 54.9%. The increase is 13.3 percentage points.
Lowest interest raises new question
Before the 2026 runoff, the starting point is different from all previous presidential elections. In the first round, less than one in four voters voted.
The CEC announced that after the vote on October 25, no president and vice president were elected, since more than half of the voters did not participate in the vote and no candidate received more than half of the valid votes. In its decision, the commission stated: “In the elections held on October 25, 2026, no president and vice president of the republic were elected“.
Thus, the runoff on November 1 will show not only who will win the presidential vote, but also whether the twenty-year trend of the second round attracting fewer voters will be interrupted.
Sources: nova.bg