Iliana Iotova
Iliana Iotova | |
|---|---|
Илияна Йотова | |
.jpg) Official portrait, 2026 | |
| 6th President of Bulgaria | |
| Assumed office 23 January 2026 | |
| Prime Minister | Rosen Zhelyazkov Rumen Radev |
| 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 for Bulgaria | |
| In office 6 June 2007 – 16 January 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| 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 24 October 1964 Sofia, PR Bulgaria |
| Political party | BSP (since 1997) |
| Spouse(s) |
Andrey Iotov (m. 1985) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Lycée Français de Sofia |
| Alma mater | Sofia University |
| Occupation |
|
Iliana Malinova Iotova (Bulgarian: Илияна Малинова Йотова; born 24 October 1964) is a Bulgarian journalist and politician. She is the 6th and current President of Bulgaria since 2026.[1] She is the first female President of Bulgaria.[1] She is a member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). Iotova was the fifth vice president under President Rumen Radev from 2017 to 2026. Before her political career began, Iotova was a nurse, journalist and television news presenter.[2][3][4]
Early life
[change | change source]Iliana Malinova was born in Sofia, People's Republic of Bulgaria on 24 October 1964.[5][6] She studied in the Lycée Français de Sofia.[3][6] She earned a degree in philology from the University of Sofia. She later studied at the École nationale d'administration in Strasbourg, France, and the Center for European Studies (CEES) of the University of Strasbourg.[6]
In the 1980s, Malinova worked as a nurse at the First Hospital of Sofia St John the Baptist.[2] From 1990 to 1997, she worked at Bulgarian 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.[3][4][6] She then worked as the director of the press service of the Bulgarian Socialist Party in 1997.[7][4][6]
Presidency (2026–present)
[change | change source]During an address to the nation on 19 January 2026, the then president Rumen Radev announced his plan to resign.[8] The following day, Radev made resignation as President official when he turned in his resignation papers to the Constitutional Court.[9] Three days later on 23 January, the Constitutional Court formally accepted Radev's resignation, ending his time as President of Bulgaria.[10] Shortly after the ruling, Iotova was sworn-in as president.[11]
Personal life
[change | change source]Iotova married Andrey Iotov, a doctor, in 1985, and they have one child.[2][6]
References
[change | change source]- 1 2 "Iliana Iotova becomes Bulgaria's first female president". bnrnews.bg. Retrieved 23 January 2026.[permanent dead link]
- 1 2 3 "Първият джентълмен на България: Кой е съпругът на президента Илияна Йотова" [The First Gentleman of Bulgaria: Who is the husband of President Iliana Yotova?]. Vesti.bg (in Bulgarian). Netinfo. 23 January 2026. Archived from the original on 23 January 2026. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Iliana Iotova". Archived from the original on 31 December 2025. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Iliana Iotova becomes Bulgaria's first female president". Bulgarian National Radio. 23 January 2026. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ↑ "Iliana IOTOVA - 8th parliamentary term". European Parliament. 24 October 1964.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Karagyozov, Konstantin; Trifonov, Nikolay (23 January 2026). "UPDATED Iliana Iotova Becomes Bulgaria's President after Constitutional Court Ruling". Bulgarian News Agency. Archived from the original on 24 January 2026. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ↑ "Профил на Илиана Йотова" (in Bulgarian). personi.dir.bg. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ↑ "На живо: Радев подаде оставка като президент, отива на изборите (видео)". offnews.bg (in Bulgarian). 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ↑ "Радев официално подаде оставка пред Конституционния съд". offnews.bg (in Bulgarian). 20 January 2026. Archived from the original on 21 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ↑ "Румен Радев вече не е президент, държаве глава е Илиана Йотова". 24Chasa.bg (in Bulgarian). 23 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ↑ ""Много сме, не могат да спрат вълната". Радев напусна президентството, Йотова е първата жена държавен глава". mediapool.bg (in Bulgarian). 23 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
Other websites
[change | change source]
Media related to Iliana Iotova at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website of Iliyana Iotova at the Wayback Machine (archived 10 January 2014)
