00:01Acting President Ilyana Jotova is the apparent winner of Bulgaria's presidential runoff,
00:07initial results of the vote count showed. The raise for the largely ceremonial post had pitted
00:12Jotova, an ally of Prime Minister Roman Radov, against Andrei Gyorov, the banker and former
00:18caretaker prime minister backed by the pro-Western opposition. Jotova gained between 57.4 and 58.2%
00:26of the vote, according to estimates from several polling institutes, well ahead of Gyorov,
00:31who garnered between 38.6% and 39.6%. If confirmed by official results, Jotova would become Bulgaria's
00:39first elected female head of state. Gyorov conceded defeat and said the results had to be accepted as
00:45they stood. Observers expect Jotova to continue Radov's policy of keeping Bulgaria on its European
00:52path while also supporting better relations with Russia and the lifting of sanctions.
