Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced his government’s resignation, just minutes before a scheduled sixth no-confidence vote in parliament, following weeks of escalating nationwide protests against corruption and economic policies.
This resignation yesterday comes weeks before Bulgaria joins the eurozone on January 1, 2026.
The minority coalition, led by the centre-right GERB party and in power since January, bowed to pressure from tens of thousands of demonstrators who rallied across Sofia and other cities yesterday.
Media estimates, based on drone footage, put the crowd in Sofia’s central square at 100,000 to 150,000 protesters, with similar gatherings in dozens of towns across the nation and even abroad.
Demonstrators used lasers to project slogans such as “Resignation,” “Mafia Out,” and “For Fair Elections” onto the parliament building.
The unrest began in late November over the proposed 2026 budget – Bulgaria’s first in euros ahead of its eurozone entry – which critics decried as a vehicle for graft, including tax hikes on dividends and social security contributions to fund opaque public spending.
The government withdrew the draft on December 2, but demands for full resignation persisted, targeting figures such as sanctioned oligarch Delyan Peevski, whose MRF New Beginning party supported the coalition.
In a televised address, Zhelyazkov stated: “We hear the voice of the citizens … Young and old raised their voices in favour of the resignation. This civic position must be encouraged.”
He emphasised the protests were against “arrogance and the way democratic values are implemented”, adding that the coalition had discussed the situation and decided to step down to meet public demands.
“Power derives from the sovereign – from the people. Vox populi vox Dei, [the voice of the people is the voice of God],” the PM said
GERB leader Boyko Borissov, who had previously resisted calls for resignation until after euro adoption, stated he insisted on the move yesterday “to avoid Bulgaria being erased from the eurozone” and pledged caretaker support to prevent price hikes.
President Rumen Radev, who had backed the protests as a “vote of no confidence”, will now consult parties to form a new government or call elections.
Opposition leader Asen Vassilev of We Continue the Change party called it “the first step towards Bulgaria becoming a normal European country”, while parties such as ITN and MECh demanded swift, fair elections.
The resignation marks Bulgaria’s seventh government change in four years, underscoring ongoing instability in the European Union’s poorest member state.
In 2021, anti-corruption protests caused the fall of the then-ruling cabinet, leaving Bulgaria in political difficulties ever since.
The country is widely viewed as one of the most corrupt in the EU, ranking poorly on transparency and rule-of-law measures, which fuels widespread public resentment.
