Iliana Iotova is the first woman to be elected President of Bulgaria. Following her election victory, she and Kiril Valchev will become the new occupants of the Presidency on 2 Dondukov Boulevard. Iotova thanked voters, the Initiative Committee that nominated her, and the parties that supported her. She pledged that she would succeed in overcoming the divisions that have built up in society.
Following the victory of Iliana Iotova and Kiril Valchev, who secured almost 20 percentage points more than their main opponents, Iotova thanked all Bulgarian citizens who had voted for them, as well as those who had supported Andrey Gyurov, saying that at least they had turned out to vote. She once again highlighted the positive campaign they had conducted and pledged to work towards overcoming divisions in Bulgarian society. She also addressed Prime Minister Rumen Radev in particular, saying that she could not have succeeded without him. For his part, Radev, who attended on election night to support and congratulate Iotova, said he expected her to be a worthy president.
Iliyana Iotova—the first woman elected President of Bulgaria—began her first address with words of gratitude.
Iliana Iotova, President of the Republic of Bulgaria: “ I would like to express my deepest gratitude to ‘Progressive Bulgaria’ and to Mr. Radev—without you, we would not have succeeded.”
She acknowledged the full mobilisation in recent days of the other parties that had backed her and Valchev, as well as the members of the Initiative Committee.
Iliana Iotova, President of the Republic of Bulgaria: “Despite all the pressure and the hatred directed at these people, not one of them gave up, not one of them let us down.”
She emphasised that they had run a positive campaign, unlike their opponents.
Iliana Iotova, President of the Republic of Bulgaria: “But today, through their vote, people said: ‘No, not like this.’ Good decisions can be made through dialogue, discussion, the search for solutions, cooperation and coordination with the other institutions – not when your main message is to sabotage everyone else.”
Newly elected Vice-President Kiril Valchev pointed out that they had doubled their support in the run-off.
Kiril Valchev, elected Vice-President of Bulgaria: “I want to thank Bulgarians around the world who voted – they will be the main focus of our work. I will be another guarantor within the presidency of Bulgaria’s place in Europe, where it has been for 14 centuries, and of democracy in our country. We will pay particular attention to young people.”
Yotova assured that she would be able to overcome the deep-seated divisions in society:
“A short while ago, Mr. Gyurov called to congratulate me and tell me that I will be a worthy president who will engage in dialogue with everyone, and he is convinced of this.”
Praise also came from Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who thanked the supporters of “Progressive Bulgaria” as well.
Iotova pledged that she would succeed in overcoming the divisions that have built up in society:
“Mr Gyurov called me a little while ago to congratulate me and tell me that I would be a worthy president who would engage in dialogue with everyone. He is convinced of that.”
Prime Minister Rumen Radev also offered his congratulations, thanking supporters of Progressive Bulgaria.
Rumen Radev, Prime Minister: “In an extremely short time, they achieved an incredible result. Ms Yotova, we have known each other for 10 years now, and I am convinced that you will be a worthy president of Bulgaria during the difficult times in which you will bear this considerable responsibility.”
The Prime Minister noted that they had won one million votes in a presidential election and interpreted the result as follows:
Rumen Radev, Prime Minister: “Today, Bulgarians chose the future over the past. They chose peace, stability, normality, and a sustainable and clear perspective. We are bringing a difficult election year to a close, but the direction is clear: there is no going back to political ‘assemblages' and the shadows of the past from the transition period. For us, these elections confirm that the course we have taken is the right one and encourage us to pursue even more decisive and active reforms.”
Radev also commented on the possibility of protests:
“Everyone is free to protest about something – the sun, plants... Asen Vasilev will protest to the bitter end over the budget, but that does not mean we have to hold new elections every four or five months just because someone is protesting. Let us respect democracy – there are people who swear by democracy but do not abide by it.”
Asked whether she was ready to assert her independence from Rumen Radev, Iliana Iotova replied:
“With almost 30 years of political experience behind me, no one has yet come along to tell me what to do.”
Photos: Desislava Kulelieva, BNT
Others who had supported Iotova and Valchev also celebrated the victory.
Petar Vitanov, chair of the Progressive Bulgaria parliamentary group: “After all, we increased turnout by nearly a third, which is unprecedented in the entire democratic history of the country.”
Krum Zarkov, chairman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party: “A great, decisive and well-deserved victory for Iliana Iotova, behind whom we Bulgarian socialists mobilised.”
Krasimir Karakachanov, VMRO: “The people’s desire for peace and stability prevailed.”
Prof. Hristo Pimpirev, Iotova–Valchev Initiative Committee: “Of course, a president must also be critical, since they embody all Bulgarians.”
Photo: BTA
The evening continued with champagne and music, away from the cameras.
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