Iliana Iotova was born on October 24, 1964, and has a rich educational and professional background. She graduated from the French Language High School in Sofia and studied Bulgarian Philology at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski," later specializing at the French National School of Administration (ENA) and the Centre for European Studies in Strasbourg. She began her career in media, working as a reporter, editor, and Director of the News and Current Affairs Division at Bulgarian National Television (BNT) from 1990 to 1997.
In politics, Iotova has been closely associated with the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), holding various leadership positions from 1997 to 2016. She served as a Member of Parliament in the 40th National Assembly (2005–2007), and subsequently completed three terms as a Member of the European Parliament (2007–2017), focusing on issues such as counter-terrorism, data protection, the refugee crisis, and Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen Area.
Iotova has served as President of Bulgaria since January 23, 2026, making her the first woman to hold the position. She assumed the role after the Constitutional Court terminated President Rumen Radev's mandate following his resignation. As one of her first major acts as president, she appointed financier Andrey Gyurov as interim Prime Minister ahead of snap parliamentary elections.