Iliyana Yotova is the first woman elected president of Bulgaria according to the preliminary results of the runoff on November 1, 2026. In the second round, she faced Andrey Gyurov, and the vice-presidential candidate in her pair was Kiril Valchev.
After the end of election day, Yotova thanked the voters and the political forces that supported her. “Mr. Radev, we couldn't have done it without you”, she said. According to her, Andrey Gyurov called her to congratulate her on her victory and to say that she would be a worthy president who would seek dialogue with everyone.
From BNT to the vice-presidential post
Iliyana Yotova was born on October 24, 1964 in Sofia. She graduated from the 9th French Language High School “Alphonse de Lamartine“, and then Bulgarian Philology at the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski“. She specialized at the French National School of Administration and at the Center for European Studies in Strasbourg.
Her professional path began at the Bulgarian National Television. Between 1990 and 1997, she worked as a reporter, editor and presenter, and later headed the “News and Current Affairs” department.
After that, Yotova took over the press center of the National Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, which she headed from 1997 to 2007. She was a member of parliament in the 40th National Assembly from 2005 to 2007. During this period, she was the chairwoman of the Bulgarian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie and vice-chairman of the parliamentary delegation to PACE.
Ten years in the European Parliament
In June 2007, Yotova became a member of the European Parliament and retained her mandate until 2017. She works on topics related to the internal market, civil liberties, justice, organized crime, migration and the protection of personal data. data.
She is the author of the first report of the European Parliament on the Black Sea and fisheries in it. Among the highlights of her work is the European policy for dealing with the migration crisis, as well as the admission of Bulgaria to the Schengen area.
The path to the presidency
In November 2016, Iliyana Yotova was elected Vice President of Bulgaria in tandem with Rumen Radev. The two took the oath before the 43rd National Assembly on January 19, 2017, and took office on January 22. In November 2021, they were re-elected for a second term.
On January 19, 2026, Rumen Radev announced his resignation as president. After the Constitutional Court prematurely terminated his powers, on January 23, Iliana Yotova took office as head of state.
The victory in the November 2026 elections marks the beginning of the first presidential term of a woman elected directly by Bulgarian voters. The official announcement of the final results and the inauguration of the newly elected president will follow.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg