Iliana Iotova has officially announced that the current Director General of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), Kiril Valchev, is her chosen running mate for vice president. Iotova revealed the name of her partner for the upcoming presidential elections in October to members of the media. The announcement took place just before the start of a concert at "Bulgaria" Hall, which marked the official opening of the 2026/2027 season of the Sofia Philharmonic, an event attended by the head of state as an official guest.
Kiril Valchev's biography reveals a long professional career, rich with international recognition and specialized experience:
- Born on May 24, 1973, in Sofia, he is a graduate of the National High School for Ancient Languages and Cultures "St. Constantine-Cyril the Philosopher".
- He holds a Master's degree in Law from the Faculty of Law at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski".
- In 1995, he completed a professional training course in radio management at Deutsche Welle in Cologne, Germany.
- In 2000, he was selected as a fellow for the European Young Leaders Program of the German Marshall Fund in the USA.
- In 2003, he completed a specialized internship at the Bulgarian section of the BBC in London, UK.
- Since 1994, he has been the creator and host of the program "Sedmitsata" ("The Week"), and since 1996, of "Godinata" ("The Year") on Darik Radio.
- A passionate traveler, he has visited all 193 UN member states, as well as all continents.
Valchev's professional career spans a wide range of legal and media activities. Between 2000 and 2004, he was a part-time assistant in civil law at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". Since 2005, he has worked as a managing partner at a law firm specializing in intellectual property and media law, where he has advised numerous institutions in the fields of culture and media. As Secretary of the Board of the Association of Bulgarian National Electronic Media (ABNEM), he has participated in the activities of leading organizations such as BTA, BNT, BNR, bTV, Nova TV, and Darik Radio. Between 2019 and 2020, he was a member of the expert group for amendments to the Radio and Television Act at the National Assembly. He has a long history with BTA, ranging from his work in the "Foreign Information" desk (1993–1995) and his role as a legal consultant on the drafting of the BTA Act (adopted in 2011), to his participation as a moderator at the World Meeting of Bulgarian Media.
On January 27, 2021, Kiril Valchev was elected Director General of BTA by the 44th National Assembly, with his candidacy approved without a single vote "against" or "abstention". On December 4, 2025, the 51st National Assembly unanimously voted for a second five-year term for him in the same position.
Iliana Iotova's decision comes in the context of significant political events over the past year. On January 19, Rumen Radev announced his resignation, and on January 23, Iotova assumed the office of head of state after the Constitutional Court prematurely terminated Radev's powers. Iotova made history as the first woman to hold the office of President of Bulgaria. She recalled that back in July, in an interview for "Panorama" on BNT, she had declared her intention to run for president through an initiative committee, at which time she deliberately left the question of her vice president open until the autumn.