Iliana Iotova

She sat in the National Assembly from 2005 to 2007 and in the European Parliament from 2007 to 2017, was Vice President of Bulgaria from 2017 to 2026 and became the country's first woman President in 2026. She is the incumbent registered as a candidate for President in the 25 October 2026 election.

Career

Iotova was a member of the National Assembly from 2005 to 2007 and of the European Parliament from 2007 to 2017, where she was vice-chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs from 2014 to 2017 and chaired the delegation to the EU–Montenegro parliamentary committee. She served as Vice President of Bulgaria from 2017 to 2026 and then as President, the first woman to hold the office. In February 2026 she nominated Andrey Gyurov as caretaker prime minister. For the 2026 election she runs as an independent, supported by several parties, under ballot number 25.

Positions

Wikipedia describes her as left-leaning and a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament. Her work there centred on civil liberties, justice and home affairs and on promoting Bulgarian culture abroad. In 2015 she was rapporteur on a report calling for an equitable distribution of 40,000 refugees across the European Union.

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