Bulgarians are voting in a presidential election amid the spread of Russia’s war on Ukraine to the waters off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.
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Bulgarians → vote → coast
Ahead of Sunday’s vote, President Iliana Iotova, 61, and ex-caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, were leading a field of 27 candidates in the polls.
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Iotova → lead → polls
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The presidency is a largely ceremonial post in Bulgaria.
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presidency → soar → Bulgaria
While major policies must be approved by Parliament, direct election gives the president greater political authority.
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election → approve → authority
The president leads the armed forces and can veto legislation, sign international treaties and appoint ambassadors.
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president → lead → ambassadors
The election has also gained attention after a series of drone attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria’s coast that likely killed some two dozen international seafarers.
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that → gain → seafarers
The drone strikes sparked international condemnation and concerns about the growing reach of the war in Ukraine, prompting Bulgaria to seek allied assistance to bolster its maritime security.
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strikes → spark → security
The Bulgarian government has stopped short of explicitly blaming Russia for the attacks, but Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the outcome of the strikes “benefits the Russian Federation”.
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outcome → stop → Federation
Relations with Russia, West at stake
The two leading candidates for president have both condemned the strikes, but they differ on the broader war in Ukraine.
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they → lead → Ukraine
Gyurov, who served as caretaker prime minister this year, is backed by pro-Western, reformist parties and has long expressed support for Ukraine.
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who → serve → Ukraine
He signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv during his time as premier.
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He → sign → premier
“I want Bulgaria to have a voice of its own in Europe, a reliable NATO ally that defends its interests through preparedness, strong diplomacy and a clear position,” he said at a rally on Thursday.
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he → want → Thursday
Iotova, a former vice president, became acting president in January after Radev resigned to enter the parliamentary race, which he won on what many political analysts considered a Kremlin-friendly ticket.
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analysts → become → which
Radev supports Iotova, and they both call for a diplomatic end to the war.
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they → support → war
“My opponents argue that there must be a war of attrition,” Iotova told a rally on Thursday.
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Iotova → argue → Thursday
“The truth is, we are all the ones who are most exhausted.”
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who → exhaust → ?
While there is a broad consensus among the parties in Parliament on the country’s pro-Western path, widespread pro-Russian sentiments based on traditional historical and cultural ties with Russia have divided society, particularly since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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sentiments → be → Ukraine
Dobromir Zhivkov, managing director of the Market Links polling agency, said Iotova is among those who advocate that Bulgaria take a more neutral position.
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Bulgaria → say → position
“They call for an end to aid for Ukraine and a halt to arms deliveries to Ukraine; we often hear them use Kremlin rhetoric and terminology borrowed directly from Kremlin propaganda,” he told The Associated Press news agency earlier this week.
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he → call → agency
Run-off vote expected
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vote → run → ?
Candidates are also addressing public fears about the steep rise in energy prices and surging inflation, with many Bulgarians in rural areas struggling to make ends meet.
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ends → address → areas
Polls by Alpha Research give Iotova 41 percent of the vote and Gyurov 28 percent.
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Polls → give → vote
Voting starts at 7am (05:00 GMT), and polls close at 8pm (18:00 GMT).
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polls → start → pm
Analysts expect none of the 27 candidates to secure the outright majority needed to win in the first round, however.
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none → expect → round
Turnout must also be above 50 percent of the 6.6 million registered voters, and Sunday’s turnout is expected to be less than 40 percent, which means a likely run-off on November 1.
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which → register → November
The Aporia
