After tight election, Bulgaria heads to presidential runoff

Bulgaria will head to a runoff vote on Sunday 1 November after a tight race between the two leading presidential candidates failed to produce an outright winner in Sunday's elections, which garnered record-low participation, official results showed.

With 95% of the votes counted, incumbent Iliana Iotova, 61, attracted 34.6% against 32% for ex-caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, falling short of the 50% threshold for the largely ceremonial role in a race of 27 candidates.

Sunday's vote took on added significance after a series of drone attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast that likely killed some two dozen international seafarers. However, only about 22% of the eligible voters showed up to cast their ballot, according to polling agencies.

The strikes, which sparked international condemnation and concerns about the growing reach of the conflict in Ukraine, prompted the government to seek allied assistance to bolster maritime security.

Bulgaria has stopped short of directly accusing Russia of carrying out the attacks, but Prime Minister Rumen Radev said their outcome "benefits the Russian Federation".

Both leading presidential candidates condemned the strikes, but they differ over the broader conflict.

Iotova, formerly vice president, became acting president in January after Radev resigned to enter the parliamentary race. Radev supports Iotova and they have both called for a diplomatic end to the conflict.

A victory for Iotova would make her Bulgaria's first elected female president.

"I want to share a certain worry and tell Bulgarians that it is an illusion if they think we can change something in this country without (them) voting," Iotova said after polls closed.

Gyurov, who served as caretaker prime minister this year, is supported by pro-Western, reformist parties and has long expressed support for Ukraine. He signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv during his time as premier.