Presidential election 2026: Myara reports Yotova at 35% and Gyurov at 31.9% with its parallel-count sample complete

As of 22:10 on 25 October 2026, the first post-election surveys and parallel vote count indicate close results between the presidential tickets of Iliyana Yotova–Kiril Valchev and Andrey Gyurov–Georgi Kandev. The figures come from exit polls and a polling agency's parallel count, rather than polling station records processed by the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Myara exit poll as of 20:00

According to the Myara exit poll published by BNT, Yotova and Valchev receive 35.6% of reported preferences, while Gyurov and Kandev receive 32.5%. Kostadin Kostadinov and Petar Volgin are shown at 13.5%, Radostin Vasilev and Krasimir Manov at 3.9%, Ivelin Mihaylov and Yuliana Mateeva at 3.2%, and Ivan Hristanov and Stoyanka Cherkezova at 1.6%. Of the voters surveyed, 4.7% chose 'I support no one'. The agency estimates turnout at 20:00 at 22.2%.

Parallel count, distinct from the official results

In a subsequent report at 20:42, BNT presented Myara's parallel-count figures with 70% of the agency's sample processed: 34% for Yotova–Valchev, 31.3% for Gyurov–Kandev and 12.8% for Kostadinov–Volgin. These percentages reflect the agency's sample count and do not mean that the CEC has processed 70% of all polling station records.

Another exit poll, by Alpha Research as of 19:00 and published by BNT, gives Yotova–Valchev 35.3%, Gyurov–Kandev 32.4% and Kostadinov–Volgin 12.6%. Differences in timing, samples and methods can produce different estimates.

Update as of 21:20: BNT updated its report with figures from 95% of Myara's parallel-count sample: 34.9% for Yotova–Valchev, 32.1% for Gyurov–Kandev and 12.5% for Kostadinov–Volgin. The agency estimates voter turnout at 22.1%. These are again figures from a polling agency's parallel count, not an official CEC result.

Update as of 22:10: 100% of Myara's parallel-count sample

According to BNT's updated report of 25 October, with 100% of polling agency Myara's parallel-count sample processed, the Iliyana Yotova–Kiril Valchev ticket receives 35,0%, Andrey Gyurov–Georgi Kandev receive 31,9%, and Kostadin Kostadinov–Petar Volgin receive 12,4%. They are followed by Radostin Vasilev–Krasimir Manov at 4.3%, Ivelin Mihaylov–Yuliana Mateeva at 3.5% and Ivan Hristanov–Stoyanka Cherkezova at 2.2%. According to the sample, 4.6% chose 'I support no one'. The agency estimates turnout at 20:00 at 22.2%.

Important distinction: '100% parallel count' means that the agency has processed its entire own sample, rather than that the CEC has processed 100% of polling station records. At the time of this check, we do not have an independently confirmed percentage of processed records or official CEC results for the candidates. The figures above therefore remain polling estimates, not official election results.

For comparison, the Trend exit poll published by NOVA as of 19:00, shows Yotova–Valchev at 36.5%, Gyurov–Kandev at 32.4% and Kostadinov–Volgin at 14.0%. The Alpha Research exit poll presented by BNT for 19:00 puts them at 35.3%, 32.4% and 12.6%, respectively. Exit polls involve interviews with voters after they have cast their ballots, while a parallel count is a separate study of selected polling station results. Neither method replaces the CEC count.

Reports and organisation on election day

The Interior Ministry released figures as of 15:00 for a total of 217 reports relating to the electoral process: 165 concerning alleged vote buying, 12 concerning unlawful campaigning, one concerning employer-directed voting and 39 concerning other circumstances. Police issued 1,277 formal warnings. These reports are allegations requiring investigation, not proven violations. These are the latest public figures we have verified, rather than a final report for the day.

Voting abroad and in Veliko Tarnovo Province

Voting outside Bulgaria was organised at 613 polling stations in 60 countries, NOVA reported. The largest numbers were in the United Kingdom (82), Turkey (78), Germany (70), Spain (67) and the United States (44). As of 22:10, we had not confirmed a final breakdown of votes cast abroad by presidential ticket. Those figures will be included in the results after official processing.

In Veliko Tarnovo Province, voting took place at 414 polling stations. As of 16:00, official turnout was 16,96% — 33,839 people had voted out of 199,548 registered voters. Regional police said the last polling stations closed by 20:25. These percentages represent turnout, rather than support for candidates. Details for the ten municipalities are available in a separate local report on 5000.news.

Key campaign positions

In their campaign statements, Iliyana Yotova emphasised diplomacy as a path to ending the war in Ukraine, while Andrey Gyurov focused on support for Ukraine and cooperation with Bulgaria's European and NATO partners. Both condemned attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea, according to Reuters on 25 October. These are differences in political positions, rather than figures showing the election result.

Clarification on official turnout and complaints received

A BNR report published at 16:29, citing the CEC's figures at that time, reported 1,058,669 people voting out of 6,637,238 registered voters — 15.95% as of 16:00 Later, at a CEC briefing covered by BNT at 17:01, the commission reported 16.04% for the same time. The two publicly reported figures differ by 0.09 percentage points. We do not present them as identical or suggest a reason for the difference without official clarification. Source for the earlier numerical figures: BNR.

As of 18:30 according to CEC figures reported by BNR at 19:22, the commission had received four complaints and 74 reports. The Interior Ministry's separate figure of 217 reports is as of 15:00 and covers a different register and period; the figures should not simply be added together into a single total.

What the CEC reports

The CEC's official platform currently publishes voter turnout, but does not yet display results from votes counted for the candidates. As of 16:00, 1,058,669 people had voted, or 15.95% of registered voters; as of 11:00, the figures were 385,092 people, or 5.80%.

The election result and whether a second round is needed will be established by the CEC after polling station records are processed. A second round, if required, is scheduled for 1 November. The figures in this article are a temporary snapshot and are subject to updates.

Sources: BNT — Myara exit poll as of 20:00; BNT — Myara parallel count as of 20:42; BNT — Alpha Research as of 19:00; CEC — official turnout figures.

Photo: Glen Carrie / Unsplash (Unsplash License). Illustrative image; it does not show actual records or figures from Bulgaria's election on 25 October 2026.