Iliyana Yotova: Bulgaria's first woman president, from journalist to head of state

Iliyana Yotova has become the first woman elected president of Bulgaria, and will lead the country for the next five years.

Born on 24 October 1964 in Sofia, she studied Bulgarian philology and began her career as a journalist. Although her degree is not in journalism, she worked in the field for many years, including at Bulgaria's national television in various posts, before entering politics.

Yotova served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2007 to 2017 and as vice president of Bulgaria from 2017 to 2026. After Rumen Radev resigned in January 2026, she took over the presidency as acting head of state. She won the elections held on 1 November, becoming the country's first elected woman president. Her political line is close to the Bulgarian Socialist Party. She advocates improving relations with Russia and a diplomatic settlement of the war in Ukraine, and has spoken against providing additional military aid to Ukraine. She has a family and one son.