Iliana Iotova: People believe that dialogue can lead to good decisions

Iliana Iotova is Bulgaria’s new president, having defeated Andrey Gyurov, according to polling agencies’ data following the second round of the presidential election held in Bulgaria on 1 November.

In her first address after the close of election day, she thanked voters for their trust, as well as Progressive Bulgaria and Prime Minister Rumen Radev, along with the other parties that had supported her.

“From the very outset, we ran a positive campaign and did not allow ourselves to resort to the language of hatred and division. People have come to believe that dialogue can lead to good decisions,” she noted. Earlier today, after casting her ballot, she said she had voted for “a strong Bulgaria with a voice of its own, sovereign in its decisions, forging its own destiny and making its voice heard on the international stage”.

Vice-President-elect Kiril Valchev said he would be “another guarantor within the Presidency of Bulgaria’s place in Europe and of democracy in our country”. He pointed out that his key priorities would include working with Bulgarian communities abroad, engaging young people in public life and raising Bulgaria’s profile internationally.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev commented that, through their vote, Bulgarians had chosen the future over the past. “They chose normality, a stable and clear outlook. The direction is clear: there will be no going back to backroom political arrangements or to the shadows of the past from the transition period,” he said.

Edited by Miglena Ivanova