Iliana Iotova

Iliana Malinova Iotova (; born 24October 1964) is a Bulgarian politician and journalist who has served as president of Bulgaria since 23 January 2026. She is the first woman to hold the office. A member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Iotova previously served as vice president under Rumen Radev from 2017 to 2026, when she became the first Bulgarian vice president to assume the presidency intra-term due to Radev's resignation.

Early life

Iliana Malinova Iotova was born in Sofia, People's Republic of Bulgaria on 24 October 1964. She studied in the Lycée Français de Sofia. From 1990 to 1997, she worked at Bulgarian National Television as a reporter, editor, director, presenter of news and current affairs programmes and also became head of the News and Current Affairs Directorate. There she was part of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group.

In addition to her committee assignments, Iotova served as chairwoman of the parliament's delegation to the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee and as member of the delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. She was also a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Integrity (Transparency, Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime).

Vice President of Bulgaria (2017–2026)

Ahead of Bulgaria's 2016 presidential elections, Iotova was officially nominated as the Bulgarian Socialist Party's running mate for presidential candidate Rumen Radev. After her election to the Vice Presidency, she resigned her MEP seat. As Vice President, Iotova focused on relations with Bulgarian communities abroad and on promoting Bulgarian education and language. In the second round, held on 21 November, Rumen Radev defeated Gerdjikov with 66% of the vote, thus securing a second term in office for Iotova as well. She was sworn in on 19 January 2022 and her term officially began on 22 January.

President of Bulgaria (2026–present) During an address to the nation on 19 January 2026, the then-president Rumen Radev announced his intention to resign. The following day, Radev submitted his resignation as President to the Constitutional Court. Three days later on 23 January, the Constitutional Court formally accepted Radev's resignation, making Iotova the country's first female president. Shortly after the ruling, Radev left the "Dondukov 2" palace together with Iotova, the new President, and addressed supporters, promising a unified struggle at the upcoming legislative elections. Iotova will complete the remainder of Radev's term until the 2026 Bulgarian presidential election.

On 11 February, Iotova nominated Andrey Gyurov, the deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, as acting prime minister.

Personal life Aside from her native Bulgarian, she is fluent in French and speaks Russian and English. Iotova married Andrey Iotov, a doctor she met at the First Hospital of Sofia St. John the Baptist in 1985. They have one child.