Bulgarians Head to the Polls to Vote for the Next President

On October 25, Bulgaria holds presidential elections. Nearly 6.6 million people are eligible to vote. Polling stations opened this morning and will remain open until 8 pm. If there are still people waiting to vote, polling hours may be extended by one hour.

There are 27 presidential candidates. The choice is in the hands of eligible voters, numbering 6.59 million. Some 46,000 young people who turn 18 this year will be first-time voters.

There are 9,373 polling stations equipped with voting machines across the country. Larger stations with more than 780 voters will have two machines each, bringing the total number of machines to 2,249.

There are 613 polling stations abroad.

To win at the first round, a candidate must get at least 50% of the votes, provided that more than half of eligible voters have taken part in the election.