Bulgaria votes in presidential runoff after tight first round

Bulgarians went to the polls on Sunday to elect a president after a tight race between the two leading candidates failed to produce an outright winner in last weekend's first round vote for the largely ceremonial role.

Incumbent president, Iliana Iotova, 61, led over ex-caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, but fell short of the 50% threshold in the first round race of 27 candidates that saw a record-low turnout.

Exit polls will be published after voting ends at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT), with a result likely on Monday as the ballot papers are counted.

The presidential vote comes against the backdrop of a series of drone attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast in the past month, which have sparked international condemnation and concerns about the growing reach of the war in Ukraine.

About two dozen seafarers are feared dead and the strikes have prompted the government to seek allied assistance to bolster maritime security. On Wednesday a Greek container ship sank after being hit by sea drones.

Both leading presidential candidates have condemned the attacks. Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who backs Iotova, said the strikes' outcome "benefits the Russian Federation". They have both called for a diplomatic end to the war.

A victory for Iotova would make her Bulgaria's first elected female president. She became acting president in January after Radev resigned to enter and win a parliamentary race on what many political analysts considered a Kremlin-friendly ticket.

Gyurov, who served as caretaker prime minister this year, is supported by pro-Western, reformist parties and has long expressed support for Ukraine. He signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv during his time as premier.

A host of right-leaning political figures, among them ex-premier Boiko Borisov, have expressed support for Gyurov.