Bulgaria sets October 25 date for 2026 presidential elections

Bulgaria’s 2026 presidential elections will be held on October 25, it was decided at a July 29 meeting of the presiding officers council of the National Assembly.

Should no candidate win 50 per cent or more at the first round, a second round will be held on November 1.

The second round must be between the two candidates who got the largest shares of votes in the first round.

According to Bulgaria’s constitution, the scheduling of the date of presidential elections is in the hands of the National Assembly.

The presidential elections must be held no earlier than three months and no later than two months before the expiration of the term of office of the incumbent head of state. The current head of state’s term expires on January 22 2027.

The choice of October 25 implies that the month-long official campaign period will begin on September 25.

The role of the president is governed by chapter four of Bulgaria’s constitution, which requires the head of state to embody “the unity of the nation”.

The president has a term of five years and may serve no more than two terms.

A presidential candidate must be a natural-born Bulgarian citizen over 40 years of age and qualified to be elected to the National Assembly and who has resided in Bulgaria for the five years preceding the election.

(Photo: president.bg)