Iliana Iotova and Kiril Valchev: Bulgaria’s new President and Vice President

Iliana Iotova will continue to serve as Bulgaria’s president for the next five years, retaining her position as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the country's armed forces.

In the presidential runoff held on November 1, 2016, she secured nearly 58% of the votes, defeating her opponent, former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov, who received just over 39% of the vote.

• Iliana Iotova is Bulgaria’s 7th president and first woman elected to the post

• Andrey Gyurov: We accept the results, surprising as they may be

Iliana Iotova took over as head of the presidential institution on January 23 this year, following Rumen Radev’s early departure from his second term as head of state to assume the role of prime minister.

On the eve of presidential election runoff, Iliana Iotova addressed voters with the following message: “Bulgaria is greater than any political party or any politician. It is our common home. I want this home to be a place of peace for our children, where they can grow up feeling secure and with a future ahead of them. I also want Bulgaria to have its own strong and confident voice in Europe. The choice is ours, and that is why we must vote.”

Her message resonated with the majority of Bulgarian voters, who have grown weary of the cycle of elections over the past five years.

                                            Biography of Bulgaria’s seventh President

President Iliana Iotova graduated from the Alphonse de Lamartine French Language High School in Sofia and earned a degree in Bulgarian Philology from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” She subsequently specialized at France’s National School of Administration and the Centre for European Studies in Strasbourg.

She worked as a reporter, editor, news presenter and Director of News and Current Affairs at the Bulgarian National Television, where she worked from 1990 to 1997. She subsequently headed the press office of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and held various senior positions until her election as vice president. From 2005 to 2007, she served as a Member of Parliament, before becoming a Member of the European Parliament in June 2007, a position she held for three terms as part of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.

Iliana Iotova is fluent in French and has good command of Russian and English. She is married and has one son.

Kiril Valchev will be Iliana Iotova’s Vice President when she takes office on January 22, 2027. The longtime journalist and current Director-General of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) will serve a five-year term as Vice President.  

                                                 Biography of Vice President Kiril Valchev

Kiril Valchev graduated from the National High School of Ancient Languages and Cultures “St. Constantine-Cyril the Philosopher” and holds a Master’s degree in Law from the Faculty of Law at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” For many years, he hosted current affairs programmes on Darik Radio and also gained journalistic experience at Deutsche Welle and the BBC.

Between 2000 and 2004, he worked as a part-time assistant professor in civil law at Sofia University. Since 2005, he has been a managing partner at a law firm specialising in media and intellectual property. Valchev was elected Director-General of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) in 2021 and is currently serving his second term. He has visited all 193 United Nations member states and every continent.

     Messages from the President and Vice President fоllowing the November 1 еlection

In her first statement as President-elect, Iliana Iotova thanked everyone who had supported her on her path to the presidency.

“We ran a positive campaign and did not allow ourselves to make a single attack against our opponents. We did not allow hate speech, confrontation or division to become part of our campaign, even for a second. We spoke to Bulgarian citizens about the issues that matter in their everyday lives - incomes, peace and the challenges they face - and they understood our message. I still cannot understand who misled Mr Gurov into pursuing such an extremely aggressive campaign against our presidential ticket. With their votes, people sent a clear message: ‘This is not the way. This is unacceptable in Bulgarian elections!’ They placed their trust in a political approach where good decisions are made through dialogue, discussion, the pursuit of solutions, and cooperation and coordination with other institutions.”

For his part, newly elected Vice President Kiril Valchev noted that twice as many voters had backed the election of Bulgaria’s first female president in the second round.

''I would like to extend my special thanks to Bulgarians around the world who cast their votes. They will be my primary focus. Another important responsibility I will have as Vice President will be to ensure that our country is better represented around the world. I will serve as another guarantor within the Presidency of Bulgaria’s place in Europe, where it has been for 14 centuries, as well as of democracy in our country. We will pay particular attention to young people. We will invite them to the Presidency to hear their ideas about Bulgaria’s future, because the most important goal is to bring as many people as possible together around the cause of Bulgaria. We must ensure that our children stay in Bulgaria and that those who have left come back'', Vice President-elect Kiril Valchev said.

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov