Balgarianovinite.com Speaking to journalists at the Sofia Philharmonic on Thursday, President Iliana Iotova has named Bulgarian News Agency Director General Kiril Valchev as her candidate for vice president. Iotova announced her running mate for the upcoming presidential election in October while attending the opening of the orchestra’s 2026/2027 concert season.
In July, in a Bulgarian National Television interview Iotova said she would run for president in the upcoming autumn election, adding that her candidacy would be put forward by an initiative committee. At the time, she did not disclose who would run alongside her as vice president, saying she would announce her choice in the autumn.
On January 23, 2026, Iotova assumed the office of head of State after the Constitutional Court ruled that the powers of incumbent Prime Minister Rumen Radev should be terminated ahead of schedule following his resignation. On January 19, Radev announced in an address to the Bulgarian people that he would step down as president.
Iotova is the first woman in Bulgaria’s history to serve as president. Under the Constitution, if the powers of the head of State are terminated, the vice president assumes the presidency for the remainder of the term.
Speaking of Valchev, Iotova said: “For many years, we have shared a common cause: preserving Bulgarian identity, developing the Bulgarian spirit, safeguarding our written language and our alphabet. A vice president must know how to communicate with people and stay close to them, both in Bulgaria and with Bulgarians living abroad. This has also been a shared cause of ours – working with Bulgarian communities to help preserve and protect them, because it is not easy everywhere, while also supporting their development.”
According to Iotova, Valchev had proven as a person that he was capable of bringing people together rather than dividing them.
Commenting on his nomination, Valchev said: “God is my witness, I never sought to become a vice-presidential candidate. I accept President Iotova’s invitation as recognition not of me personally, but of BTA – an institution of consensus, communication with Bulgarians around the world, remembrance and, above all, something the presidency needs: consensus. But consensus does not mean being identical,” Valchev said.
He called on everyone to recognize the contribution of all candidates in the presidential election, saying they were prepared to serve the Bulgarian people and Bulgaria, which deserved respect. “I will follow the best examples set by heads of independent institutions who have taken part in presidential elections, including the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Cassation and the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia. As early as tomorrow [Friday], I will hand over my current responsibilities to my colleagues, to BTA’s excellent team, and next week I will take unpaid leave until the end of the campaign,” Valchev said.
In response to a question, he said he received Iotova’s invitation to run for vice president in August, adding that the two had had the opportunity to hold numerous discussions.
Iotova announced that the constituent meeting of her initiative committee would be held in Hall 6 at 5 p.m. on September 8. “There you will see all the civic and non-governmental organizations, as well as political parties and individuals who support us and who are respected figures in their respective fields,” the President said.
Iliana Iotova Names BTA Director General Kiril Valchev as Running Mate for Presidential Election 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-09-03 17:03:00
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