Bulgaria to hold presidential election on October 25
Parliament fixes October 25 as election day; runoff is scheduled for November 1 if no candidate wins an outright majority.
Bulgaria’s parliament has set October 25 as the date for the country’s next presidential election, officials announced on Friday.
The presidency in Bulgaria is largely ceremonial: most executive authority rests with the prime minister and the National Assembly in a country of about 6.5 million people. Still, the president serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, can veto legislation and signs international treaties.
Candidates and the ruling party
The ruling centrist-left Progressive Bulgarian Party of Prime Minister Rumen Radev has endorsed the current vice-president, Ilijana Yotova, as its candidate for president. Yotova previously served nine years as Radev’s deputy.
Rumen Radev himself served two terms as president but resigned to take up the post of prime minister after his party won a decisive victory in the April parliamentary elections.
Bulgarian presidents are elected by direct popular vote for a five-year term and may serve a maximum of two terms. The candidate with the plurality of votes wins provided turnout exceeds half of all registered voters; if no candidate reaches the required threshold, a runoff will be held on November 1.
Photo: press material from the event
