Iliana Iotova, the incumbent president who assumed office in January 2026 following Rumen Radev’s resignation, holds a commanding position in the October 25 first-round vote due to her established visibility, cross-party backing through an initiative committee, and consistent polling leads of roughly 40-50 percent. Andrey Gyurov trails in second place with support around 22-26 percent, reflecting his profile as a former caretaker prime minister and central banker but limited broader coalition appeal. Recent campaign developments, including candidate registrations in September and multiple national surveys through early October, have reinforced expectations of a runoff between these two tickets, with Iotova favored to prevail given the substantial margin and low projected turnout. Other registered candidates remain marginal in both polling and market pricing.