Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of Vazrazhdane, voted in Varna in the presidential run-off. He told reporters: "For the first time in my life, today I voted against someone, not for someone."

A week ago, on 25 October, none of the 27 presidential tickets won enough support. Today, 1 November, voters choose between Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev, and Iliana Yotova and Kiril Valchev.

How it all started: Bulgaria votes in presidential runoff, polls close at 8pm

Kostadinov says millions of Bulgarians are in the same position and have no real choice. He says everyone in politics has reason to think about that.

The Vazrazhdane leader believes many people have turned away from the vote because some parties refused to debate each other. He says politics only makes sense when the main figures talk, clash over ideas, and voters can see how much each is worth and what each offers. That did not happen in the first round, he says. In his view, the talk before the run-off was empty, with "the left and right wings of the Euro-Atlantic status quo trading friendly remarks".

Vazrazhdane is a pro-Russian party. Russia has waged a full-scale war on Ukraine since February 2022, while the EU and Bulgaria back Ukraine and sanctions on Moscow.

Kostadinov said he voted because he believes people should set a personal example, and he is ready to take that responsibility. "A large part of Bulgaria's political elite has, with its policies, in effect bankrupted democracy in Bulgaria, and it has been emptied of meaning," he said.

Kostadinov says the two wings of the Euro-Atlantic elite are now arguing over who owns the state, but it belongs to Bulgarians.

Polling stations are open from 7:00 to 20:00. Where people are still waiting to vote, they stay open until 21:00 at the latest.