Bulgaria’s 2026 presidential elections: Three former PMs, two former presidents endorse Gyurov

Two days before Bulgarians vote in the second and final round of the 2026 presidential elections, three former prime ministers and two former presidents have endorsed the candidacy of former caretaker prime minister Andrei Gyurov.

Gyurov is in a runoff contest on November 1 against incumbent President Iliana Yotova. In the October 25 first-round vote, Yotova ended a mere 2.81 points ahead of Gyurov.

The three former prime ministers – Boiko Borissov, Ivan Kostov and Nikolai Denkov – who signed the open letter, released on October 30, are from different political parties.

Other sigNatories include former president Rossen Plevneliev and Sofia mayor Vassil Terziev. Earlier in the week, former president Petar Stoyanov endorsed Gyurov in a television interview.

Those whose signed the open letter have taken up their stance because of the threat from Russia to Bulgaria and the lack of reaction from the government of Roumen Radev, whose Progressive Bulgaria party is backing Yotova.

This is Borissov’s first clear statement in support of Gyurov. Borissov’s GERB-UDF did not nominate a presidential candidate and at the first round, Borissov did not endorse one.

“We call on all who define themselves as patriots and defenders of Bulgaria’s civilizational choice – its place in the family of European democracies and in Nato,” the open letter says.

The letter says that Gyurov’s election as president is “the only real opportunity to stop the slide towards international isolation and another national catastrophe. Bulgaria needs a political counterweight and corrective to Roumen Radev’s policies.”

Here is the text:

Today, national security must transcend party differences. Unity is needed around a clear assessment of the threat, the resolute defence of national interests, and Bulgaria’s full participation in the common defence of the EU and Nato.

We should not wait for another sunken ship, attacked infrastructure, attack or human casualties to recognise the scale of the risk. Unfortunately, the president and the government continue to underestimate the threat, instead of preparing the country for an adequate response. In this way, they do not deter the aggressor, but create the prerequisites for new attacks.

The refusal to recognise the Russian threat, including in the adjacent zone, and to name the Kremlin’s responsibility for the escalation in the Black Sea, combined with the insufficient use of our own capabilities and the resources of our allies, sharply increases Bulgaria’s vulnerability and the geopolitical risk for the country. The lack of capabilities can be compensated by the allies, the lack of political will – not.

Recent events show how costly the illusion that Putin can be appeased through concessions and appeasement can be. The consequences are no longer just military or geopolitical. They affect every Bulgarian citizen, business, trade, and the security of shipping to and from our ports.

We have gone so far as to criticise our Romanian allies, on whom we rely, for defending themselves and shooting down Russian drones, because, you see, they provoked Russia with their actions!

Putin’s desire to return Nato to its pre-1997 borders means returning Bulgaria and Eastern Europe to the Russian sphere of influence. Not a word about that – neither from Yotova nor from Radev.

Bulgarian society is practically deprived of a realistic assessment of the danger through the constant repetition of those that coincide word-for-word with the Kremlin’s positions and sharply contrast with the assessments of the EU and Nato. The same applies to the refusal to name the strategic threat contained in Putin’s demand that Nato not deploy forces outside the Alliance’s borders since before 1997 – a demand that practically means our return to the Russian sphere of influence and the exit of all of Eastern Europe from Nato. Not a word about this – neither from Yotova, nor from Radev.

Therefore, we call on all who define themselves as patriots and defenders of Bulgaria’s civilisational choice – its place in the family of European democracies and in Nato – to make their choice and vote for Andrei Gyurov and Georgi Kandev – the only real opportunity to stop the slide towards international isolation and another national catastrophe. Bulgaria needs a political counterweight and a corrective to Roumen Radev’s policy.

In the coming fateful times, the country cannot remain without institutional and political corrective action at the highest level.
The differences and contradictions of the past must not prevent us today from recognizing the common danger and assuming our responsibility for the future of Bulgaria.

The Fatherland needs our categorical choice in defense of Bulgaria, its European future, and the security of its citizens.

Signed (in alphabetical order):

Rossen Plevneliev, President

Prime Ministers
Boiko Borissov
Ivan Kostov
Nikolai Denkov

Mayor of Sofia
Vasil Terziev

Ministers
Anyu Angelov
Atanas Zapryanov
Boiko Noev
Valentin Radev
Velizar Shalamanov
Daniel Mitov
Korman Ismailov
Meglena Kuneva
Nadezhda Neynski
Nikolai Vassilev
Nikolai Nenchev
Nikolai Svinarov
Rumyana Bachvarova
Todor Tagarev
Traicho Traikov

Senior reserve officers
Lieutenant General Dimitar Iliev
Vice Admiral Georgi Fidanov
Major General Lyuben Stoykov Pandev
Major General Stefan Dimitrov
Brigadier General Dinko Ivanov

Diplomats and public figures
Valeri Rachev
Vesela Tcherneva
Evgenia Koldanova
Iliyan Vassilev
Radan Kanev
Stefan Tafrov