Iliana Yotova and Kiril Valchev have a clear lead over Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev in the polling agencies’ parallel counts after Bulgaria’s presidential runoff on 1 November. The figures point to the direction of the result, but they are not the Central Election Commission’s final tally.
With its parallel count reported as complete, Myara puts Yotova and Valchev at 58.2%, against 38.6% for Gyurov and Kandev. A further 3.2% selected “I support no one”. The agency estimates turnout at 27.2% at 8pm. Completion here refers to the agency’s own parallel count, not all polling-station protocols being processed by the CEC.
Alpha Research’s completed parallel count gives Yotova and Valchev 57.4%, Gyurov and Kandev 39.6%, and “I support no one” 3%. Its turnout estimate is 29.1%. The agencies’ differing percentages should be kept separate; combining them would create a figure neither organisation published.
The CEC announced the end of election day in Bulgaria shortly after 9pm. Voting abroad follows local arrangements and time zones. The closure in the country opens the next stage: counting ballots, signing polling-station protocols and submitting them for official processing.
Earlier, the commission’s confirmed turnout snapshot at 4pm was 19.33%, or 1,282,848 voters. That administrative figure and the agencies’ evening estimates measure different moments and come from different processes. The afternoon number is retained as context, rather than presented as the final participation rate.
The binding result depends on the official count and the commission’s decisions. The distinction matters particularly during election night, when exit polls, parallel counts and processed protocols circulate together. This update reflects the two completed agency counts checked at 9.35pm Bulgarian time; their figures do not constitute an official declaration of the winner.
Updated on 1 November 2026 with the evening developments. The original publication date, URL and photograph are retained.
