The Democratic Bulgaria (DB) coalition on Friday accused Iliana Iotova of manipulating voters by presenting her opposition to alleged possibility of sending Bulgarian troops to Ukraine as the main dividing line between herself and her rivals, saying the claim was unsupported by any concrete proposal and exploited public fears. “President and candidate for president in the upcoming elections Iliana Iotova is portraying her opposition to sending Bulgarian troops to the front in Ukraine as the main dividing line between herself and her opponents. The implication is clear: if they do not vote for her, Bulgarian citizens will have to send their family members to the front,” Anna Bodakova said on Friday in a declaration on behalf of Democratic Bulgaria (DB) coalition.
“This is not peacebuilding; it is manipulation. That is why we are asking who, specifically, is proposing to send Bulgarian troops to the front in Ukraine. Name the party, produce the proposal and show us concrete documents, not rumours or insinuations. Iotova cannot simply invent positions for her opponents and then present herself to Bulgarian citizens as someone who will save them from her own inventions,” the MP said.
Bodakova recalled that on 21 February 2025, Bulgaria’s 51st National Assembly adopted a declaration explicitly stating its position against the participation of Bulgarian armed forces in military operations on Ukrainian territory. The parliamentary group, then known as Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria, supported the declaration.
“Our position is public and unequivocal. It was not invented for the election campaign,” the MP added.
Turning assistance to Ukraine into a threat that Bulgarian children would be sent to the front was not an expression of concern, but manipulation, DB said.
The declaration also recalled that the Constitution empowers the National Assembly to authorise the deployment of Bulgarian armed forces abroad.
“Bulgaria’s security is not a personal decision that the acting President can promise Bulgarian citizens in exchange for votes. European institutions are warning about Russian hybrid campaigns, sabotage and cyberattacks on Bulgarian territory, yet here support for a country that has been attacked is being portrayed as a threat to Bulgarian families. This serves precisely the Kremlin’s propaganda aims – confusion, division and distrust of institutions,” the declaration said.
“You are responsible for the messages put out by the candidate you support. You must ensure protection against hybrid attacks, rather than act as a mouthpiece for disinformation,” Bodakova told the Progressive Bulgaria (PB) party, which backed Iotova’s candidacy for president.
“Bulgarian service personnel are not campaign props, their families are not hostages to anyone’s candidacy, and people’s fears do not belong to any political party,” Anna Bodakova added.
According to DB, Iotova must respect the parliamentary position and “stop lying”.
“The President’s responsibility does not disappear when her election campaign begins. You should be ashamed of trading in fear. Show some political sanity,” Bodakova said.
Disagreement with PB did not make anyone a warmonger, DB insisted. Support for Ukraine did not mean sending Bulgarian troops onto its territory.
“Bulgaria is under no obligation to pay for anyone’s election campaign with fear. We all want peace. Only the aggressor and those who repeat its propaganda talking points do not,” the declaration concluded.
Democratic Bulgaria Accuses Iliana Iotova of Manipulating Voters with Claims about Sending Troops to Ukraine 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-16 11:04:00
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