Initiative Committee to Бack Gyurov and Kandev Established аhead of Bulgaria’s Presidential Election

An initiative committee of more than 200 members, including artists, writers, university lecturers and academics, has nominated Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev for president and vice president in the October 25, 2026 election.

The committee is headed by internationally acclaimed soprano Alexandrina Pendatchanska and journalist Konstantin Valkov. Its members said the presidential institution should guarantee the constitutional model and national interests beyond party divisions, BTA reported.

“As president, I will be a guarantor of Bulgaria’s development in Europe and the free world,” Gyurov said at the presentation of the initiative committee.

“We need a corrective that will say ‘no’ if we act against the interests of the EU and NATO. We cannot be bad, disloyal partners, as some emerging trends suggest,” Prof. Kosta Kostov, a member of the committee, said. He stressed the role of the head of state as supreme commander-in-chief and defender of Bulgaria’s commitments to the EU and NATO. “We have made it clear that all GERB voters are welcome to vote, and we urge them to do so, because GERB is a pro-European party and they should have no other choice,” Kostov added.

Gyurov and Kandev announced on September 1 that they would run in the presidential election.

Andrey Gyurov is an economist and former MP for We Continue the Change. He was elected Deputy Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank in 2023 and served as caretaker Prime Minister from February to May 2026.

Georgi Kandev is a career Interior Ministry official with more than 27 years of service. He served as acting Secretary General of the Interior Ministry during Gyurov’s caretaker government.