The Central Election Commission has approved the official timetable for the presidential and vice-presidential elections of the Republic of Bulgaria, scheduled for October 25, 2026, BGNES reports. The document sets out the legal deadlines and procedural stages that will determine the organization of the vote, the registration of participants and the conduct of the election campaign. The upcoming vote is being organized in a specific environment following the early termination of Rumen Radev's powers at the beginning of the year.
According to the adopted schedule, the first important interim deadline falls on September 4. By this date, the election administration must announce the locations outside the country where there has been at least one polling station with no less than 100 voters in the last five years. By September 6, municipal administrations and the commission should publish the numbers and exact addresses of polling stations in the country, as well as the number of voters in them.
The registration of political parties and coalitions that intend to participate in the presidential race ends on September 9 at 5:00 p.m. By the same day, the election commission will also adopt the exact conditions and procedure for conducting the election campaign.
The actual election campaign starts on September 25 and will continue until midnight on October 23. The following day - October 24 - is designated by law as a day of reflection.
Election day itself on October 25 will begin at 7:00 a.m. and end at 8:00 p.m. In the event of citizens waiting in front of the polling stations, voting may be extended exceptionally, but no later than 9:00 p.m. The final results of the vote must be announced by the Central Election Commission within three days. If a second round is necessary, it will take place on November 1, 2026.
The upcoming elections will be held several months after the unprecedented early termination of Rumen Radev's mandate for the period of the directly elected presidential institution.
On January 19, 2026, Radev publicly announced his decision to step down from office. On January 23, the Constitutional Court found that the resignation was voluntary and officially terminated his powers.
Rumen Radev won his first term in 2016 and took office on January 22, 2017. In 2021, he was re-elected for a second five-year term, which according to the regular schedule was to last until January 2027. His early retirement interrupted this term a year before its end.
The history of the modern presidential institution begins after the democratic changes. In 1990, Zhelyu Zhelev was elected President of the Republic by the Grand National Assembly, and in January 1992 he won the first direct presidential elections under the new Constitution.
After him, the heads of state were:
Petar Stoyanov – elected in 1996 and took office in January 1997, with a term until 2002;
Georgi Parvanov – won the elections in 2001 and re-elected in 2006, serving until 2012;
Rosen Plevneliev – elected in 2011 and held the position from January 2012 to January 2017;
Rumen Radev – head of state from 2017 to January 2026.
The upcoming vote on October 25 will elect the sixth directly elected president of Bulgaria. Along with the approval of the chronogram, the Central Election Commission also announced a procedure for awarding the production of audio and audio-visual works for the explanatory campaign, which will familiarize voters with their rights and how to vote.