Bulgaria's election commission has drawn lots for the ballot numbers of parties and candidate groups running in the 25 October 2026 presidential election. Candidates and their representatives then said what they expect from the campaign, BTA reports.

Number 1 went to presidential candidate Georgi Dimov, whose running mate is Dimitar Shivikov. "Bulgaria must become the center of the Balkans again. Bulgaria must be a great country, and we must make politics work for the Bulgarian people again," Dimov said. He added that his party answers only to the people: "The people must live well, because within a few years we could end up as nothing more than a piece of territory."

Number 4 went to the candidate group of Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev. "I'm very happy with this number — 4. There's only one four-leaf clover," said the group's co-chair Konstantin Valkov. "We hope to win it with ethics, humanity, good will and the huge energy I'm seeing on the ground."

Number 9 went to presidential candidate Ivaylo Simeonov, running with Kosyo Stoychev as his No. 2. Simeonov recalled that ten years ago he first ran for mayor of Elin Pelin. That vote was also held on 25 October, with a runoff on 1 November. "November 1 means a lot to me — it's a symbol of everything Bulgarian. I won that runoff with number 9, and it's a number I know well — I've won with it before," he said, adding that his team is fighting to reach the runoff and then to win. Kosyo Stoychev thanked "chance for such a great choice" and called for the nation to come together: "Let this be a campaign that builds something. We need to unite the nation — something we've lacked for a long time — and we believe our ticket has what it takes to do that."

Presidential candidate Maria Koleva and her running mate Valeri Velkovski will run under number 10. "We're entering this race to bring back the rule of law and fairness. The law in Bulgaria has to apply to everyone the same way," Koleva said. She noted that a complaint has already been filed in parliament to start impeachment proceedings against Iliana Yotova: "A president cannot break the constitution and pardon a drug boss with no justification."

The Vazrazhdane party will run under number 11. Party representative Petar Petrov said the number itself doesn't matter to them. He repeated the party's long-standing position: candidate numbers should be scrapped altogether, with names listed alphabetically instead. "We're in this race because we believe Bulgarians should feel represented, not left behind, and should be able to see themselves reflected in the presidency, which should act as a check on the other three branches of power," he added.

Number 17 went to presidential candidate Radostin Vasilev, running with Krasimir Manov of MECH as his No. 2. Hristo Rastashki, also from the party, said: "I'm calling on every Bulgarian to back Radostin Vasilev for president, because he was the first to tell the truth about President Yotova." He said that in "these hard times," which he linked to the way the euro was brought in — "done the wrong way" — the country needs a president with backbone: "a president who can veto laws that go against the interests of Bulgarians, even the budget if it comes to that."

Number 25 went to the candidate group of Iliana Yotova and Kiril Valchev. "Number 25 means we'll vote for number 25 on October 25," said the group's co-chair Emil Stoimenov, urging people to turn out on election day. He said Yotova and Valchev "will keep Bulgaria on its European path without turning their backs on our national interests." The group's other co-chair, Krum Zarkov, said: "We've got a good number. We have a good head of state in Iliana Yotova, and let's keep it that way after October 25."

Last on the ballot is number 27, drawn by presidential candidate Ventsislav Angelov and his running mate Atanas Stefanov. "We're the last number, but we'll come in first," Angelov said after the draw.