French proposal dominates presidential TV duel between Iliana Yotova and Andrey Gyurov

The French proposal and bilateral ties with North Macedonia were central topics in the only televised presidential debate between Iliana Yotova and Andrey Gyurov ahead of the second-round vote scheduled for November 1.

Clash over the origin and content of the proposal

Andrey Gyurov — an independent candidate backed by the opposition and one of the proposers of the French proposal in the National Assembly of Bulgaria — argued that the document effectively turned Bulgarian demands into part of a common European stance. He singled out the inclusion of protections for people of Bulgarian origin in North Macedonia's constitution as a key element of the text.

Gyurov accused Yotova of holding inconsistent positions, saying that she and then-president Rumen Radev had previously blamed the government for what they called a treacherous agreement, but now strongly back the same solution.

Iliana Yotova responded by saying that Rumen Radev had been involved in drafting the French proposal and had consulted with the then foreign minister and representatives from the office of French President Emmanuel Macron. She also accused then-prime minister Kiril Petkov of not being informed about the agreed text and of intending to travel to Skopje to alter Bulgaria's stance — a move she said Radev prevented.

On relations between Sofia and Skopje, Yotova said that practical improvement had not followed the signing of the agreement. She listed persistent problems such as hate speech and, as she put it, the persecution of people with Bulgarian origins, mentioning the case of Hristijan Pendikov.

Yotova closed her remarks by asserting that Bulgaria would not deviate from the agreed position, despite Skopje's attempts to contest certain parts of the related protocol.

Photo: press material from the event