site.btaContinue the Change Would Back Andrey Gurov for President

Continue the Change (CC) would back former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gurov if he decides to run for president, CC Chair Assen Vassilev said on Tuesday. CC representatives met President Iliana Iotova after submitting a petition signed by more than 32,000 Bulgarian citizens calling for a veto of the 2026 State Budget Act.

“As far as I know, if Gurov decides to run, he will be nominated by an initiative committee,” Vassilev said. “Let us see who the candidates are,” he said when asked whom CC would support. “We are holding talks with Democratic Bulgaria and the Forum for Democratic Action so that any candidate we nominate or support is jointly agreed and coordinated among the three organizations,” Vassilev added.

Asked about Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s support for Iotova’s presidential bid, Vassilev said this was the normal sequence: she first entered the race and then received support.

Vassilev added that CC would not field a joint presidential candidate with GERB.

The presidential election is due in November. Gurov said on Sunday that he was still weighing whether to enter the race, describing it as a choice that would affect Bulgaria’s direction over the next decade. He served as caretaker prime minister from February to May 2026. A survey conducted from June 23 to July 11 put him second among potential candidates with 23% support, behind Iotova, although the pollster cautioned that the results were not an election forecast.

CC reaffirmed in April an agreement with Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, Yes, Bulgaria and the Forum for Democratic Action to field a single presidential candidate, authorizing its Executive Council to propose a nominee. An initiative committee was being formed in June to nominate Gurov and unite the democratic and pro-European community. Vassilev subsequently described Gurov as an excellent candidate if he entered the race.