Iliana Yotova Set to Become Bulgaria’s First Elected Female Head of State

Bulgaria’s acting President Iliana Yotova is set to become the country’s first elected female head of state, according to preliminary election results. Her liberal rival, Andrey Gyurov, conceded defeat late Sunday night.

Preliminary results showed that 62-year-old Yotova secured between 57 and 58 percent of the votes, while Gyurov received between 39 and 41 percent.

The victory is expected to further strengthen the political position of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, whose Progressive Bulgaria party secured a parliamentary majority in April and backed Yotova’s campaign.

Yotova previously served as Radev’s vice president and assumed the role of acting president in January after Radev resigned to enter parliamentary politics.

Although Bulgaria is a member of both NATO and the European Union, Prime Minister Radev has pursued an independent foreign policy, opposing some European initiatives concerning Ukraine while maintaining military cooperation with Washington.

Last July, Radev’s government secured parliamentary approval for US military aircraft to operate from Bulgaria’s Bezmer Air Base to support American operations in the Middle East during the war with Iran.

The approval allowed the deployment of eight US KC-135 aerial refuelling aircraft, 250 military personnel and the necessary equipment at the base.

Despite objections and threats from Iran, US President Donald Trump personally thanked Radev for authorising the deployment.