Bulgarian Prime Minister Resigns After Weeks of Nationwide Protests

Bulgarian Prime Minister Resigns After Weeks of Nationwide Protests
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Bulgaria’s prime minister, Rosen Zhelyazkov, submitted his government’s resignation on Thursday after weeks of mass demonstrations over economic policies and alleged failures to address corruption, according to media reports. The announcement came shortly before parliament was due to vote on a no-confidence motion and just weeks ahead of the country’s planned entry into the eurozone on 1 January.

Zhelyazkov said the decision followed consultations within the governing coalition and reflected public pressure for change. Large protests have swept the capital, Sofia, and dozens of other cities, with more than 100,000 people estimated to have joined rallies in the capital alone. Demonstrators voiced anger over proposed tax increases and higher social security contributions included in the government’s draft 2026 budget, which was later withdrawn amid criticism that it masked deeper corruption issues.

President Rumen Radev also urged the government to step down, framing the situation as a choice between public demands and entrenched political interests. He will now invite parliamentary parties to attempt forming a new administration; if this fails, he will appoint an interim government ahead of fresh elections — the eighth in four years.

The political turmoil comes as Bulgaria continues to grapple with low public trust in institutions and ongoing concerns over judicial independence and corruption, highlighted in repeated assessments from the European Commission and Transparency International. The current coalition, led by Zhelyazkov’s GERB party, had been under mounting pressure, intensified by criticism of influential figures within its supporting factions.