Incumbent President Iliana Yotova leads in Bulgaria; calls for dialogue with Russia

Bulgaria has held the second round of voting in its presidential election. With 100 percent of ballots counted, incumbent head of state Iliana Yotova and vice-presidential candidate Kiril Valchev lead with 58.2 percent of the vote.

Election results and the opponent's concession

The incumbent president's rival, former acting prime minister Andrey Gyurov, conceded defeat. According to sources, 38.6 percent of voters cast ballots for him.

Calls for dialogue with the Russian Federation

Iliana Yotova earlier issued a statement calling on European Union countries to engage in dialogue with Russia. In an interview with Nova TV, she said European states should "call President Putin," and that Bulgaria could serve as a platform for settling the conflict in Ukraine as a diplomatic channel.