Bulgaria's government resigns after mass protests

SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgaria's government resigned on Thursday after mass protests gripped the country and just weeks before the European Union nation is due to join the eurozone. The resignation of the minority coalition, led by the center-right GERB party, was announced minutes before parliament was scheduled to vote on a no-confidence motion tabled by the opposition over economic mismanagement and supported by growing public anger with widespread corruption. "Ahead of today's vote of no confidence, the government is resigning," Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov told reporters in parliament. The demonstrations on Wednesday came after last week's protests that were sparked by the government's budget plans for higher taxes, increased social security contributions and spending increases. The government later withdrew the contentious 2026 budget plan. The protesters' demands had expanded to include calls for the center-right government to step down. "The decisions of the National Assembly are meaningful when they reflect the will of the people," Zhelyazkov said, referring to the anti-government protests. "We want to be where society expects us to be." Students from Sofia's universities had joined the protests, which organizers said outnumbered last week's rallies that drew more than 50,000 people. Media estimates based on drone visuals put the number of protesters at over 100,000. At the core of the protesters' frustrations is the role of Bulgarian politician and oligarch Delyan Peevski, who has been sanctioned by both the United States and the United Kingdom, and whose MRF New Beginning party backs the government. Peevski has been accused by opponents of helping shaping government policy in line with oligarchic interests. "We have no doubt that the government will receive support in the upcoming vote of no confidence. Regardless, the decisions of the National Assembly are important when they reflect the will of the sovereign," the prime minister said. Zhelyazkov's government survived six votes of no confidence since it was appointed in January, but this time the large turnout of protesters on the streets was a game changer. The resignation will be formally submitted to parliament on Friday, which must adopt a resolution to accept it. After this formal procedure, President Rumen Radev will give the biggest group in parliament the chance to form a new government. If it fails, the second-largest grouping will get a chance before the president choses a candidate. If all attempts fail — which is likely — he will appoint a caretaker Cabinet until a new election is held. Political analysts expect that another vote — the eighth since 2021 — will likely produce a similar deeply fragmented parliament facing an uphill task to form a stable government. Assen Vassilev, the leader of the opposition We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition, called the government's resignation "the first step in making Bulgaria a normal European state." "The next step along this path is to conduct fair and free elections rather than elections compromised by vote manipulation as in the previous campaign," he added. The Balkan country of 6.4 million people is due to make the switch from its national currency, the lev, to the euro on Jan. 1, to become the eurozone's 21st member. Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007.