Bulgaria Elects First Female President 11/02 06:26

   

   SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) -- Acting President Iliana Yotova won the runoff 
election to become Bulgaria's first elected female head of state and said she 
will work for national consensus by bridging political rifts.

   With all the votes counted on Monday, the Central Election Commission said 
Yotova secured 57.6%, while the candidate of the liberal, pro-Western 
opposition, Andrey Gyurov, received 39.5%.

   Gyurov conceded defeat, saying that "this is how the Bulgarian citizens have 
voted," and added that the results had to be accepted as they stood.

   "I voted for national consensus through dialogue, for institutions that work 
for citizens, for a strong state with its own foreign policy in a strong 
Europe," Yotova said after the vote.

   European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Yotova and 
looked forward to continuing cooperation with her on security and defense, 
competitiveness, and energy independence. "For a strong Bulgaria in a strong 
Europe," von der Leyen wrote in a post on X.

   The vote was the first major test for Prime Minister Rumen Radev's 
Moscow-friendly Progressive Bulgaria party, which endorsed Yotova. In April's 
parliamentary vote, the party won 131 of the 240 seats in Parliament, securing 
an outright majority.

   Observers note that a victory for Yotova will keep the presidency in the 
hands of the governing majority. Such a concentration of power could prevent 
the effective maintenance of checks and balances on policy decisions by 
institutions, they say.

   Both Yotova and Radev have called for a diplomatic solution to end the war 
in Ukraine but remain evasive about possible Russian involvement in drone 
attacks in the Black Sea region.

   Yotova has opposed further Bulgarian military assistance to Ukraine, 
repeatedly arguing that the conflict has no military solution and calling for a 
"coalition for peace" focused on diplomacy.

   Yotova, 62, took over the presidency in January, when Radev stepped down to 
run for parliament, and was seeking her own elected mandate. She's expected to 
continue Radev's policy of keeping Bulgaria on its European path while also 
supporting better relations with Russia and the lifting of sanctions.

   Yotova's professional career began as a TV journalist in the 1990s. Later, 
she entered politics and was elected to the national Parliament, and later the 
European Parliament, on the ticket of the Socialist party. In 2016 and 2021 she 
was elected as Radev's vice president.

   Yotova shared her victory with Kiril Valchev, whom she had picked as vice 
president. Valchev, a 53-year-old lawyer and journalist, had been at the helm 
of the official Bulgarian News Agency since 2021.

   The Balkan country joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2007. While 
there is a broad consensus among the parties in parliament on the country's 
pro-Western path, widespread pro-Russia sentiment based on traditional 
historical and cultural ties with Russia has divided society, particularly 
since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

   Bulgaria's presidency is primarily ceremonial. Although the head of state 
has no executive powers and all major policies must be approved by parliament, 
direct election gives the president greater political authority. The president 
leads the armed forces and can veto legislation, signs international treaties 
and appoints ambassadors.

   Presidents in Bulgaria are elected for a five-year term and can serve no 
more than two terms. Yotova is expected to be inaugurated on Jan. 22.