Sociologists expect low turnout in Bulgaria’s presidential election

Turnout in Bulgaria’s presidential election on October 25 is expected to be low.

Radio România, 28.09.2026, 17:07

Turnout in Bulgaria’s presidential election on October 25 is expected to be low, with a run-off also likely, sociologists Genoveva Petrova of Alpha Research and Parvan Simeonov of Myara told BNT. They said turnout could even fall to a historic low.

“If we look at the last two presidential elections, we see turnout falling from 3.9 million to around 2.6 million,” Simeonov said. He added that the perception of a clear frontrunner could discourage some voters from going to the polls, while presidential elections often produce surprises.

Boriana Dimitrova of Alpha Research told BNR that, in her view, there was no sense that this was the kind of contest that could bring about significant change. Commenting on machine voting in polling stations with more than 300 registered voters, she said voters were not intimidated by the machines.

“I would not expect an artificial decline in turnout simply because machines are being used,” Dimitrova said. (author Elizabeth Radkova)

This content is republished under a bilateral cooperation agreement between the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) and the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation (Radio România). The original article can be found on the Bulgarian National Radio website at the following link: https://bnrnews.bg/en/post/533322/sociologists-expect-low-turnout-in-bulgarias-presidential-election