Bulgarian government quits after weeks of street demos
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov has submitted his government’s resignation, following weeks of street protests over his government’s economic policies and perceived failure to fight corruption.
Jelyazkov announced his resignation in a televised statement minutes before the parliament voted on the no-confidence motion.
The resignation came shortly before Bulgaria joined the eurozone on January 1.
Announcing the government’s decision to resign, Jelyazkov said, “Our coalition gathered, we discussed the current situation, the challenges we face and the decisions we need to make responsibly.” he said.
“Our desire is to be at the level that society expects,” he said.
“Power comes from the voice of the people.”
Thousands of Bulgarians rallied in Sofia and dozens of other Black Sea towns and cities on Wednesday evening; It was the latest in a series of sustained demonstrations highlighting public frustration with widespread corruption and the failure of successive governments to root it out.
Last week, Zhelyazkov’s government withdrew its 2026 budget plan, the first of which was prepared in euros, due to protests.
Opposition parties and other organizations said they were protesting plans to increase social security contributions and dividend taxes to finance higher government spending.
Despite the government backtracking on the budget plan, protests continued unabated in the country, which has held seven general elections in the last four years, most recently in October 2024, amid deep political and social divisions.
President Rumen Radev also called on the government to resign earlier this week.
In a message to MPs on his Facebook page on Thursday, Radev said: “Between the voice of the people and the fear of the mafia. Listen to the squares!”
Radev, who has limited powers under the Bulgarian constitution, will now ask parliamentary parties to try to form a new government and, if they are unlikely to succeed, create an interim administration to rule the country until new elections are held.
The Balkan country, with a population of 6.4 million, will switch from the lev currency to the euro on January 1, becoming the 21st member of the eurozone.
with AP
