Bulgarians vote on Sunday for the presidential election, amid security fears and divisions over the war in Ukraine

Bulgarians vote on Sunday October 25 to elect their president, in a vote marked by security concerns, after a series of drone attacks against merchant ships in the Black Sea, near their coasts.

The outgoing president, Iliana Iotova, a supporter of dialogue with Moscow and opposed to military aid to Ukraine, is the favorite. After voting, she said she wanted a project that tackles "the problem of poverty in the country, as well as regional inequalities." “I believe that there must be peace, stability and security,” added the woman who made the end of the war in Ukraine one of her main campaign themes, presenting herself as a “president of peace”.

Without contesting Bulgaria's anchoring in the EU and NATO, she criticizes the continuation of military aid to Ukraine and calls for negotiations between Moscow and kyiv, while the Bulgarians are increasingly feeling the repercussions of the nearby war. If she wins, she would become the first woman elected by universal suffrage to the presidency of this Balkan country of 6.4 million inhabitants.

Very low participation at midday

His main rival Andrey Gyurov, 50, a former interim prime minister supported by the pro-Western opposition, told him he was voting for "a forward-looking Bulgaria, a European country, free and proud, where incomes are sufficient, where we feel secure about the future and where the state functions as it should".

This former vice-governor of the national bank and former interim Prime Minister declared that he wanted to be "a reliable ally within NATO, which defends its interests through solid preparation, strong diplomacy and clear positions", Wednesday in Plovdiv, during his last campaign meeting.

In total, 27 pairs are running for the presidency and vice-presidency during this first round, almost half of whom are openly favorable to the Kremlin. Turnout peaked at 5.8% at 11 a.m. local time, according to the Bulgarian Election Commission.