The Pro-Moscow "Bangaranga": Why Russia Should Be Happy with the Results of the Bulgarian Elections
- Iliana Yotova won the Bulgarian presidential election with 57.57% of the vote; her victory reinforces the pro-Russian stance of Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s government.
- Yotova’s victory could deepen the geopolitical divide and pose a threat to Ukraine, as Bulgaria becomes more pro-Russian.
Who won the Bulgarian presidential election? What is Bulgaria’s new president known for, what forces are behind her victory, and what threat does this revanchist shift pose to Kyiv? Read about it in this report from 24 Channel.
NATO’s Weakest Link Has a “Peace President”: Why Russia Should Be Pleased with the Results of the Bulgarian Election
Despite high expectations and support for the pro-European candidate Andrey Gyurov, Iliana Yotova confidently won the presidential race in Bulgaria.
The politician makes no secret of her views: she publicly advocates for active dialogue with Moscow.
Yotova’s victory will only strengthen the pro-Russian course of incumbent Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who has already practically cut off military support for Ukraine.
Find out what the new Bulgarian president is known for, what forces are behind her victory, and how this revanchist shift threatens Kyiv – read the report by 24 Channel. Dimitar Keranov, an analyst at the Delphi Global Research Center, helped us navigate the complexities of Bulgarian politics.
Iliana Yotova Wins
Bulgaria’s Central Election Commission has finalized the vote count for the second round: 100% of the ballots have been tallied, and the result was disappointing for pro-European forces. The pro-Russian Iliana Yotova, who ran on a ticket with vice-presidential candidate Kiril Vilchev, won the election.
The duo secured the support of 57.57% of voters, making Yotova the first woman in the country’s history to assume the presidency.
The politician, who openly calls for a return to dialogue with Moscow, left her opponents no chance.
The pro-European ticket of Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev garnered 39.48% of the vote. Another 2.95% of Bulgarians chose not to pick between the two sides and marked the “I support no one” box.
The results of the overseas vote highlighted a deep geopolitical divide. In the U.S., Gyurov triumphed decisively with 67.5% of the vote, leaving Yotova with only 30.5% (after 99% of ballots were counted).
Yotova won decisively, if one disregards the catastrophically low turnout / photo – Iliyana Yotova’s Facebook
In Russia, however, the picture is the exact opposite: Yotova won a landslide 84.0%, while Gyurov garnered a modest 13.7%. However, the decisive factor in Bulgaria itself was widespread voter apathy – the final turnout turned out to be critically low, at just 27.5%.
The passivity of Bulgarian society came as no surprise: in the first round, turnout had already plummeted below the 23% mark.
As Dimitar Keranov, an analyst at the Delphi Global Research Center, explained in a comment to 24 Channel on the eve of the second round of elections, the main reason lies in the citizens’ utter exhaustion from endless elections and the absence of any real change.
The expert notes that, on the surface, Yotova’s victory in the second round appears convincing, but the reality is much more complex.
Yotova received a clear majority of the votes among a relatively small portion of the electorate, as the majority of Bulgarians stayed home. In my opinion, this indicates a deep sense of distrust.
A victory that confirms a deep crisis and apathy in society
According to Dimitar Keranov, Bulgarian society is convinced that elections are no longer capable of changing the country’s political system, which has long revolved exclusively around the struggle for power and the preservation of the status quo.
Moreover, many citizens mistakenly consider the office of president to be of secondary importance. However, this is not the case. The President of Bulgaria does not have to be merely a “ceremonial figure,” as the office – in addition to its ceremonial and representative functions – provides the opportunity to exert real influence on both foreign and domestic policy.
Meeting with the electorate / photo – Iliyana Yotova’s Facebook
The president has the right to veto laws passed by the National Assembly, and also serves as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces – a duty that, given Russia’s ongoing hybrid aggression against Europe and attacks on civilian ships off the Bulgarian coast, is by no means merely ceremonial.
A clear divide along lines of age, education, and geography was also characteristic of this election. An analyst at the Delphi Global Research Center emphasizes: while among young people under the age of 30, about six out of ten voters cast their ballots for the pro-European Andrey Gyurov, among people over 60, more than 60% supported Yotova.
Gyurov also led among urban residents and the educated population, while his opponent won votes in small towns and villages. In addition, the massive abstention rate among young people played right into Yotova’s hands. An expert attributes the roots of this generational voting divide to historical legacy.
During the communist era, Russian propaganda was extremely powerful in Bulgaria... Many people grew up under the influence of this propaganda, which convinced them that Russia was Bulgaria’s best friend.
Young people under 30, on the other hand, did not experience the communist regime, and many of them were educated in the West, so they have no overt affinity for Moscow. However, summarizing the election results, Keranov adds the bitter truth about the low voter turnout: “If you don’t go out to vote, someone else makes the decision for you.”
The elections themselves took place against the backdrop of a critical escalation in the region: the presidential election was held amid an immediate military threat, as Russian forces had effectively begun hunting down civilian vessels in the Black Sea off the Bulgarian coast.
The scale of the security risks proved so serious that the heads of the defense ministries of Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey held an emergency meeting in Sofia, condemning the attacks on the commercial fleet and launching a joint operation to ensure maritime security.
“President of Peace” or “Moscow Cuckoo”
The winner of the race, 62-year-old Iliana Yotova, had served as acting head of state since January of this year. Prior to that, she had long served as vice president on Rumen Radev's team, and after his voluntary resignation to run in the parliamentary elections (where he went on to lead the government in April), she took the presidential oath of office.
Yotova’s path to national politics began in the media: in 1989, she earned a master’s degree in Bulgarian and French philology from Sofia University, after which, from 1991 to 1997, she built a career at Bulgarian National Television – rising from reporter and editor to head of the news and current affairs department.
Yotova later entered politics and was even elected to the European Parliament as a representative of the center-left. Although the newly elected president formally and publicly supports Sofia’s EU membership and the protection of national interests within the European community, her position on Russia’s war against Ukraine is staunchly conservative.
Rumen Radev took an active part in his protégé’s campaign / photo – Iliyana Yotova’s Facebook
Yotova fully continues Radev’s pro-Russian course: she publicly advocates for the need for an immediate diplomatic settlement with Moscow and categorically opposes the direct transfer of Bulgarian weapons to Kyiv, justifying this by the desire to “avoid dragging the country into the conflict.”
Contrary to information circulating online, Iliana Yotova is not the mother or a relative of the 2026 Eurovision winner Darina Yotova (performing under the stage name DARA), the singer of the rousing song "Bangaranga." Incidentally, “Yotova” is the surname the president-elect took after marriage. Her maiden name is Todorova.
As the Financial Times notes, Yotova’s victory could bring Sofia one step closer to Moscow, since from now on, the country’s key levers of power are in the hands of a duo with a clear pro-Russian orientation. Analyst Keranov confirms: there should be no illusions – Sofia’s pro-Russian course will only be cemented.
In this sense, I expect the current policy toward Russia to remain unchanged. This involves an emphasis on so-called “peace”: no transfer of weapons from the Bulgarian army’s stockpiles to Ukraine, as well as the selectivity we saw in the cases involving sanctions against Patriarch Kirill.
In his view, Moscow will continue to perceive Bulgaria as the “weakest link” on NATO’s southern flank, and these elections have only cemented that status. Keranov points out that the rhetoric of “peace through negotiations” served as the perfect hook for the older generation of Bulgarians, who were frightened by military escalation and attacks on ships off their own coast. However, behind these lofty slogans lies a veiled capitulation.
When you talk about peace but refuse to call Moscow an aggressor, you are effectively siding with Russia and helping it impose its own terms. Talk of “sovereignty,” “peace,” and “national interests” from the pro-Russian camp is merely a convenient euphemism masking a demand to yield to the Kremlin’s interests.
After all, negotiations on Moscow’s terms are not a path to security, but an attempt to force Ukraine to submit to the aggressor. However, the expert places the blame for this outcome, in particular, on the pro-Western opposition as well. It failed in its communication and was unable to explain to a disillusioned public the fundamental truth: who actually started this war, and that peace on Putin’s terms is not peace at all, but merely an illusion of security.
What the victory of the pro-Russian politician means for Ukraine
Analyzing the consequences of Bulgaria’s shift for Kyiv, Keranov explains: although the president in Bulgaria does not have a monopoly on foreign policy decisions, Ukraine finds itself in a high-risk zone.
The main threat is the complete alignment of key branches of government in Sofia under pro-Russian banners (we saw such a scenario in Hungary during Viktor Orbán’s rule).
It is now crucial that all of Bulgaria’s state institutions speak with one voice when it comes to the so-called “dialogue” and negotiations with Moscow.
The government in Sofia has not yet touched on the commercial sale of weapons, but the overall tone of bilateral relations is rapidly cooling. Kyiv is increasingly encountering coldness and ambiguity instead of the resolute partnership it expects. And this is no longer just an abstract concept – it is a real threat: Ukraine is critically dependent on the Black Sea trade routes off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania. While Russia is hunting down civilian vessels in these waters, Sofia’s head-in-the-sand stance is undermining the security of the entire regional logistics network.
In my opinion, Bulgaria simply must act as a strong NATO member. This means directly recognizing Russia as a threat to its own military and economic interests. Instead, mantras about “dialogue” only cast the country in a negative light and erode the Alliance’s unity.
Часті питання
Why might Iliyana Yotova’s victory in Bulgaria’s presidential election be good news for Russia?
Iliyana Yotova’s victory reinforces the pro-Russian stance of incumbent Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who has already effectively cut off military aid to Ukraine. Yotova publicly advocates for active dialogue with Moscow, which benefits Russia in terms of its influence over Bulgaria.
How were the votes distributed in the Bulgarian election by geographic and age groups?
Young people under the age of 30 overwhelmingly supported the pro-European candidate Andrey Gyurov, while the older generation favored Iliana Yotova. Gyurov gained support in cities among the educated population, while Yotova received the majority of votes in small towns and villages.
What consequences might Yotova's victory have for Ukraine?
Yotova’s victory could lead to a deterioration in relations between Bulgaria and Ukraine, as key branches of the Bulgarian government could align under a pro-Russian banner. This poses a threat to Ukraine, as Bulgaria could reduce its support for Kyiv on the international stage and undermine regional security.