Iliana Iotova | |
|---|---|
| Илияна Йотова | |
.jpg) Official portrait, 2026 | |
| President of Bulgaria | |
| Assumed office 23 January 2026 | |
| Prime Minister | Rosen Zhelyazkov |
| Vice President | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Rumen Radev |
| Vice President of Bulgaria | |
| In office 22 January 2017 – 23 January 2026 | |
| President | Rumen Radev |
| Preceded by | Margarita Popova |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Member of the European Parliament forBulgaria | |
| In office 6 June 2007 – 16 January 2017 | |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Succeeded by | Petar Kurumbashev |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 18 August 2005 – 20 May 2007 | |
| Constituency | 24th MMC – Sofia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Iliana Malinova Todorova (1964-10-24)24 October 1964 (age 61) |
| Party | BSP (since 1997) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Lycée Français de Sofia |
| Alma mater | Sofia University École nationale d'administration University of Strasbourg |
| Occupation |
|
Iliana Malinova Iotova[a] (née Todorova; born 24 October 1964) is a Bulgarian politician and journalist who has served as thepresident of Bulgaria since 23 January 2026. She is thefirst woman to hold the position. A member of theBulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Iotova previously served as thevice president underRumen Radev from 2017 to 2026.
Iliana Malinova Iotova was born inSofia,People's Republic of Bulgaria on 24 October 1964.[2][3] She studied in theLycée Français de Sofia.[4][3] She received a degree in Bulgarian and Frenchphilology from theUniversity of Sofia and later specialized at theÉcole nationale d'administration (ENA, National School of Administration) inStrasbourg, France, and the Center for European Studies (CEES) of theUniversity of Strasbourg.[3]
In the 1980s, Malinova worked as a nurse at the First Hospital of Sofia St John the Baptist.[5] From 1990 to 1997, she worked atBulgarian 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.[4][6][3] She then worked as the director of the press service of theBulgarian Socialist Party in 1997.[7][6][3]
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In the2005 national elections, Iotova was elected to theNational Assembly, an office she held until 2007.[6][3] During her term, she headed the Bulgarian delegation to theAssemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie and member of the delegation to theParliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.[3]
Iotova became aMember of the European Parliament in 2007 and was re-elected in 2014.[8] There she was part of theProgressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group.[8][3]
In parliament, Iotova served on theCommittee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (2007–09), theCommittee on Fisheries (2009–14), and theCommittee on Petitions (2009–14).[2] From 2012 until 2013, she was also a member of the Special Committee on Organised Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering. From the2014 elections, she served as vice-chairwoman of theCommittee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, under the leadership of chairmanClaude Moraes.[4][2] In this capacity, she was her parliamentary group'srapporteur on a 2015 report calling for the equitable distribution of 40,000 refugees across the European Union.[9]
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 theParliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.[10] She was also a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Integrity (Transparency, Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime).[11]
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Ahead of Bulgaria's2016 presidential elections, Iotova was officially nominated as the Bulgarian Socialist Party's running mate for presidential candidateRumen Radev. After her election to the Vice Presidency, she resigned her MEP seat.[12] As Vice President, Iotova focused on relations with Bulgarian communities abroad and on promoting Bulgarian education and language.[6] They both were sworn in on 19 January 2017 and began their office on 22 January.[13][14]
On 1 February 2021, President Radev officially announced that he and Iliana Iotova would run for a second term in the2021 general election.[15] 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.[16] She was sworn in on 19 January 2022 and her term officially began on 22 January.[3]
On 21 March 2024, Iotova participated in an educational forum in Lisbon, which she sponsored, and in which she called for the need to create a Bulgarian cultural institution abroad to promote Bulgarian culture and language internationally.[17]
During an address to the nation on 19 January 2026, the then-presidentRumen Radev announced his intention to resign.[18] The following day, Radev submitted his resignation as President to theConstitutional Court.[19] Three days later on 23 January, theConstitutional Court formally accepted Radev's resignation, thus ending his tenure as President of Bulgaria.[20] 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.[21] Iliana Iotova officially became Bulgaria's first female president on 23 January 2026, ahead of the plannedsnap election to complete Radev's presidential term.[3][14]
On 11 February, Iotova nominated Andrey Gurov, the deputy governor of theBulgarian National Bank, as acting prime minister.[22]
Aside from her nativeBulgarian, she is fluent inFrench and speaksRussian andEnglish.[3] Iotova married Andrey Iotov, a doctor she met at the First Hospital of Sofia St. John the Baptist in 1985. They have one child.[5][3]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Vice President of Bulgaria 2017–2026 | Vacant |
| Preceded by | President of Bulgaria 2026–present | Incumbent |
