Elections today not only in Serbia. Bulgaria is also electing a new president and vice president. These are extraordinary elections, as Bulgaria has witnessed a focus for the first time in history, first demonstrated by Putin with Medvedev in Russia, and now by Vučić in Serbia. The essence of the focus is simple – to remain in power, the previous president Rumen Radev, like the aforementioned gentlemen, stepped down from the presidency to become prime minister. Although there are as many as 27 candidate pairs (presidential and vice presidential) participating in the elections, there are essentially two main candidates: Iliana Iotova - the acting president, former vice president to Radev during both of his terms. She is the candidate of Radev's party "Progressive Bulgaria." Polls predict about 47.3% for her. She is considered pro-European, but at the same time aligns with Radev's line, which is manifested in pro-Russian rhetoric, yet never blocks EU and NATO decisions. The most accurate description would be "Bulgaria first." Andrey Gyurov - about 22% economist, former acting prime minister at the beginning of 2026. He is the main opposition candidate, supported by those wishing to distance themselves from Radev's influence. Most pro-Western and pro-Ukrainian. Also mentioned is Petar Volgin with about 10.3% - he is a candidate of the pro-Russian, nationalist line. Voter turnout is predicted to be very low - about 39%. Why are the elections important? Bulgaria has been a member of the eurozone since 2026, but is politically very unstable. On April 19, the parliamentary elections were won by Radev's coalition "Progressive Bulgaria." Now Radev is the prime minister, and his former vice president is trying to maintain the presidency for the same political camp. In the backdrop of the elections - the war in the Black Sea and drone attacks near Bulgaria's shores, so security is a key topic. In short: just as in neighboring Serbia the elections are a referendum on Vučić, so in Bulgaria - a referendum on Radev - will his political machine maintain the presidency while he himself has moved to the prime minister's position? In the photo, the acting president and leading candidate Iliana Iotova. #Bulgaria #Elections #Balkans #Balkanija (translated)

Tomorrow, on October 25, Serbia will elect a new parliament. Essentially, this is a referendum on Aleksandar Vučić's over a decade-long rule. It all started on November 1, 2024, in Novi Sad, when the roof of a newly renovated station collapsed, killing 16 people. Over the two years since this tragedy, a powerful anti-corruption youth (student) movement has gained momentum. In this election, they are participating for the first time as a political force (Student List No. 3), led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanović. Opposing them is the ruling SNS, whose list is headed by Vučić himself, who resigned from the presidency on September 27 to run for prime minister. Polls show that both forces are neck and neck—about 115 mandates for each—but the opposition is gaining ground. Everything will depend on whether Vučić's old partner SPS and the pro-European "European Serbia" can overcome the 3 percent threshold. In-depth analysis - on Balkans Substack #Balkans #Geopolitics #History #Serbia #Substack #Election #Balkans #Geopolitics #History #Serbia #Substack #Election (translated)

For more than 25 years, I have been traveling through Southeast Europe, delving into the history, politics, and lifestyle of those regions. Together with a historian and my son-in-law, since the autumn of 2025, we have been putting the accumulated knowledge into an analytical Substack channel called "Balkanija." We provide a perspective from Lithuania on the still bubbling, curiosity-filled, quite distant yet so close region for those who find superficial headlines or simply "vacations by the warm sea" uninteresting. Here, there is an abundance of history, politics, sports, gastronomy, and travel from a Lithuanian perspective. We aim to fill the knowledge gap about this bubbling region in the Lithuanian language. We invite you to follow us here and subscribe to the newsletter: https://balkanailt.substack.com/ #Balkans #Geopolitics #History #Lietuva #Substack #BALKANIJA #Balkans #Geopolitics #History #Lietuva #Substack #BALKANIJA (translated)