Professor Eliza Stefanova is the first female Rector of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". This happened by decision of the General Assembly of the university after a runoff, in which she won with 185 to 135 votes against her opponent, Prof. Georgi Rainovski. It was achieved after a first round, in which the two won the most votes out of the four candidates admitted to the election. The fifth - the current acting rector, Prof. Parvan Parvanov, was rejected in advance as a potential candidate by the General Assembly.
The other two candidates - Prof. Milen Zamfirov and Prof. Madlen Danova - dropped out of the first round of voting, receiving fewer votes than the leading two candidates.
Professor Stefanova is currently the chairwoman of the National Agency for Assessment and Accreditation, and in the past she was also the vice-rector of the largest Bulgarian university during the terms of office of Prof. Anastas Gerdzhikov.
In her program, she emphasizes the increased digitalization of education and the electronicization of administrative activities.
The election of a rector to complete the current term of office came after the current incumbent, Prof. Georgi Valchev, resigned early to take up the post of Minister of Education and Science.