Iliana Yotova wins runoff to become Bulgaria’s first elected female president

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Iliana Yotova wins runoff to become Bulgaria’s first elected female president

2026-11-02 19:13 Last Updated At：19:30

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Acting President Iliana Yotova won the runoff election to become Bulgaria’s first elected female head of state and said she will work for national consensus by bridging political rifts.

With all the votes counted on Monday, the Central Election Commission said Yotova secured 57.6%, while the candidate of the liberal, pro-Western opposition, Andrey Gyurov, received 39.5%.

Gyurov conceded defeat, saying that “this is how the Bulgarian citizens have voted,” and added that the results had to be accepted as they stood.

“I voted for national consensus through dialogue, for institutions that work for citizens, for a strong state with its own foreign policy in a strong Europe,” Yotova said after the vote.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Yotova and looked forward to continuing cooperation with her on security and defense, competitiveness, and energy independence. “For a strong Bulgaria in a strong Europe,” von der Leyen wrote in a post on X.

The vote was the first major test for Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s Moscow-friendly Progressive Bulgaria party, which endorsed Yotova. In April’s parliamentary vote, the party won 131 of the 240 seats in Parliament, securing an outright majority.

Observers note that a victory for Yotova will keep the presidency in the hands of the governing majority. Such a concentration of power could prevent the effective maintenance of checks and balances on policy decisions by institutions, they say.

Both Yotova and Radev have called for a diplomatic solution to end the war in Ukraine but remain evasive about possible Russian involvement in drone attacks in the Black Sea region.

Yotova has opposed further Bulgarian military assistance to Ukraine, repeatedly arguing that the conflict has no military solution and calling for a “coalition for peace” focused on diplomacy.

Yotova, 62, took over the presidency in January, when Radev stepped down to run for parliament, and was seeking her own elected mandate. She’s expected to continue Radev’s policy of keeping Bulgaria on its European path while also supporting better relations with Russia and the lifting of sanctions.

Yotova’s professional career began as a TV journalist in the 1990s. Later, she entered politics and was elected to the national Parliament, and later the European Parliament, on the ticket of the Socialist party. In 2016 and 2021 she was elected as Radev’s vice president.

Yotova shared her victory with Kiril Valchev, whom she had picked as vice president. Valchev, a 53-year-old lawyer and journalist, had been at the helm of the official Bulgarian News Agency since 2021.

The Balkan country joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2007. While there is a broad consensus among the parties in parliament on the country’s pro-Western path, widespread pro-Russia sentiment based on traditional historical and cultural ties with Russia has divided society, particularly since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Bulgaria’s presidency is primarily ceremonial. Although the head of state has no executive powers and all major policies must be approved by parliament, direct election gives the president greater political authority. The president leads the armed forces and can veto legislation, signs international treaties and appoints ambassadors.

Presidents in Bulgaria are elected for a five-year term and can serve no more than two terms. Yotova is expected to be inaugurated on Jan. 22.

Japan launches a new national agency to deal with disasters

TOKYO (AP) — Japan on Monday launched a new national agency focused on disaster management to improve the country's preparedness if there's a megaquake along the Pacific coast or in Tokyo, or an eruption of Mount Fuji.

More than 350 workers at the National Disaster Management Agency will oversee preparedness, emergency response and reconstruction efforts.

The agency was not created in anticipation of any specific calamity, but to address concerns about whether the nation is prepared for a crisis on the scale of the 2011 quake and tsunami in northern Japan, which killed nearly 20,000 people, and the subsequent Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Japan, which lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire,” is one of the most disaster-prone countries but it has never had an agency dedicated to the task.

“As the command center of disaster response, we will do everything to strengthen our preparedness to protect people's lives and properties ... and aim to become the world's most prepared,” Reconstruction Minister Goshi Hosono said. He will manage the agency headed by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

“Though we cannot prevent natural disasters, we can reduce damages by being prepared," Takaichi told agency staff at a launch ceremony.

Hosono on Monday issued “emergency requests” urging municipalities and residents to check the quake resistance of their homes, make sure their furniture is safely anchored, evaluate their evacuation procedures and stock up on water and portable toilets for at least three days.

“Please think about it for yourself and take action,” he said.

Hosono, who was the minister in charge of the Fukushima nuclear crisis, said he wants to use his expertise from the 2011 disaster to strengthen the agency.

A reconstruction agency was established to help northern Japan recover from the 2011 disaster, including support for decontamination and decommissioning at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Those efforts required long-term support, but there was no centralized disaster agency.

Less than half of municipal officials in Japan have received disaster management training in the past five years. Only 15% of municipalities have evacuation contingency plans for older residents and people with disabilities who require assistance, Hosono said.

Japan has relied on temporary disaster response units assembled from different ministries and departments, without a permanent cross-department command center.

Experts have warned of the possibility of major quakes in the coming decades and, although their specific timing and locations cannot be predicted, officials want people to be prepared.

The biggest worry is a megaquake linked to the Nankai Trough, an undersea trench in the Pacific off southeastern Japan, which could cause an estimated 298,000 deaths, force 6.5 million to evacuate and destroy 2.35 million homes, according to government assessments.

“If this actually hits, our future will be at stake,” Hosono said.

The government also estimates nearly 200,000 deaths could result from a megaquake from two troughs off Japan’s northern coasts. A separate major quake striking metropolitan Tokyo could cause an estimated 18,000 deaths, 4.1 million evacuees and the loss of 400,000 homes. A Mount Fuji eruption could affect 790,000 people, disrupt transportation, power lines and key infrastructure, according to official estimates.

Japan has long been criticized for its poorly equipped evacuation centers, where people are typically crowded into gymnasiums, community centers and classrooms that lack adequate privacy, bedding, clean toilets or hot food — harsh environments that experts have linked to health problems and deaths.

The agency aims to change that by bringing in clean portable toilets, kitchens that can serve hot food, facilities for hot baths and cardboard beds.

The magnitude 9 earthquake and massive tsunami that hit northern Japan in March 2011 killed nearly 19,800 people, including 3,810 deaths linked to subsequent harsh living conditions.

In July, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto killed 38 people and destroyed or damaged more than 69,000 homes, leaving wide areas without water and power for weeks.

Under punishing heat, evacuees sheltered in gymnasiums and community centers that often lacked air conditioning. Many people shunned the shelters and stayed in their vehicles outside their homes or in parking lots.