Initial results show Bulgaria's acting president Yotova wins runoff election

Acting President Iliana Yotova is the apparent winner of Bulgaria's presidential runoff. Initial results of the vote count showed. The race for the largely ceremonial post had pitted Yotova, an ally of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, against Andrei Giorov, the banker and former caretaker prime minister backed by the pro-Western opposition. Yotova gained between 57.4 and 58.2 percent of the vote, according to estimates from several polling institutes, well ahead of Girov, who garnered between 38.6 percent and 39.6 percent. If confirmed by official results, Yotova would become Bulgaria's first elected female head of state. Girov conceded defeat and said the results had to be accepted as they stood. Observers expect Yotova to continue Radev's policy of keeping Bulgaria on its European path, while also supporting better relations with Russia and the lifting of sanctions.