Bulgaria: Socialist and open to dialogue with Russia… Who is Iliana Iotova, the new president?

She became the first woman elected in Bulgaria. Iliana Iotova emerged winner of the presidential election with nearly 58% of the votes, Sunday November 1. The candidate, who acted as interim after the resignation of the previous president, focused her campaign on Bulgarian income, but also on opening a dialogue with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

Iliana Iotova celebrated her 62nd birthday last week. This former journalist speaks the language of Molière, since she studied at the French high school in Sofia. She then specialized in European studies, going to study at the ENA in Strasbourg in 2007.

Former journalist and former European Parliament

In the meantime, she worked as a reporter and then held various management positions on Bulgarian national television, between 1990 and 1997. Joining the Bulgarian Socialist Party through the press service, Iliana Iotova then held different positions, notably as a member of the Bulgarian Parliament. In 2007, the year Bulgaria entered the European Union, the socialist was elected a member of the European Parliament.

Iliana Iotova, however, had to leave her European functions when she was named vice-president of Bulgaria in 2017, a position she would hold until January 2026. Because that was when Bulgarian President Rumen Radev resigned, after several weeks of protests against government corruption. She therefore acts as interim head of the country, before being officially elected at the beginning of November.