Bulgaria votes in presidential election, 414 polling stations in Veliko Tarnovo region

Information as of 7:00 a.m., 25 October 2026. Bulgaria votes for president and vice-president today. Polling is scheduled from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and may continue until 9:00 p.m. at the latest if voters are still waiting outside a polling station. No votes have been counted at the start of polling. Election officials are expected to publish turnout figures and updates on voting throughout the day.

Voting in Bulgaria and abroad

According to the Central Election Commission, around 6.59 million people are eligible to vote. Among them, 46 001 are first-time voters who have turned 18 since the previous parliamentary election. Voters can choose from 27 presidential candidate pairs.

Voting machines will be available at 9,373 polling stations. In 2249 of these stations there will be two machines, with a total of 11,622 voting devices. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulgarians abroad can vote at 613 polling stations in 60 countries. Due to time-zone differences, overseas voting began at 9:00 p.m. Bulgarian time on 24 October.

Veliko Tarnovo region: 414 polling stations and nearly 200,000 voters

According to data updated on 23 October by the Veliko Tarnovo Regional Administration, 199,548 peopleare eligible to vote in the region, which has 414polling stations. Voting machines are planned for 309 polling stations , while the remaining 105 will use paper ballots. Four mobile polling stations are planned in Veliko Tarnovo, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Pavlikeni and Suhindol.

The regional administration said all ten municipalities have received the necessary ballot papers and election materials. A total of 220,900 paper ballots have been provided for the first round.

When are results expected?

After the polls close, polling-station committees count votes and submit their protocols. The Central Election Commission will publish interim figures based on the processed protocols. Early percentages released after polling closes must not be confused with the final official result. Under the election timetable, the Central Election Commission must announce the results within 48 hours of the end of voting.

If no presidential ticket wins in the first round, a runoff will be held on 1 November 2026. Whether a runoff is needed will depend on the actual results and the constitutional requirements for a first-round victory.

Useful information

Voters can check their polling-station number and address using the GRAO polling-station lookup service. Official decisions and voting information are available on the Central Election Commission website.

Sources: CEC; BTA, 25 October; Veliko Tarnovo Regional Administration, 23 October; Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Photo: Element5 Digital / Unsplash. Illustrative image, not taken during voting in Bulgaria on 25 October 2026 (Unsplash License).