Bulgarian Government Resigns After Mass Anti‑Corruption Protests — Early Elections Likely

Bulgaria's prime minister announced on Thursday that his government would resign after serving less than a year in office, following sustained mass protests over alleged corruption. The move came just ahead of a no-confidence motion filed by opposition parties and makes early elections likely.

What Sparked the Protests

Tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied across Bulgaria this week, driven by anger at a draft 2026 budget they said was designed to conceal entrenched corruption. Although the government withdrew the proposed budget, public outrage continued and culminated in large rallies outside the parliament building in Sofia and in other cities.

"The government resigns today," Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov told reporters after meeting leaders of the ruling parties. He added that people across ages, ethnicities and religions had called for the cabinet to step down and that this "civic energy must be supported and encouraged."

Euro Adoption and Institutional Stability

Despite the political upheaval, Bulgaria remains on course to adopt the euro on January 1. Petar Ganev, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Market Economics (IME), told AFP that institutions directly involved in the currency changeover—such as the Bulgarian National Bank—are independent and should not be affected by the government's resignation. He warned, however, that in an election context even minor incidents linked to the euro switch (for example a price spike or an ATM malfunction) could quickly become politicised.

Wider Political Context

The resignation follows years of political instability: Bulgaria has held multiple snap elections since mass anti-graft protests in 2020 and has struggled to form lasting administrations. Analysts say public trust in institutions is at historic lows, and concerns about prices as the country prepares to join the euro have added to popular discontent.

"Bulgarian society is in a situation of very broad unity against the country's model of governance," Dobromir Zhivkov, director of the Market Links sociological agency, told AFP. He described trust in the government and parliament as close to historic lows—an indicator of a deep political and institutional crisis.

Political Reactions and Next Steps

President Rumen Radev publicly backed the protesters and urged the cabinet to resign to make way for early elections. Opposition leader Assen Vassilev of the We Continue the Change party welcomed the resignation, calling it "the first step towards transforming Bulgaria into a normal European state" and saying the next priority is to hold free and fair elections.

Parliament is expected to formally accept the resignation on Friday, triggering preparations for new elections. Meanwhile, protesters, some carrying placards reading "I'm fed up!" and caricatures of politicians, vowed to keep up pressure until they see tangible change.

Personal stories underscored the anger: Gergana Gelkova, 24, who works in retail, told AFP she joined the demonstrations because corruption had become "intolerable," and that many of her friends had already left the country and did not plan to return. Bulgaria consistently ranks poorly on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, a factor that has fuelled both protests and political instability.

What To Watch

• Whether parliament approves the resignation and the exact date for early elections.
• How institutions handling the euro adoption manage the transition amid heightened political scrutiny.
• Potential political realignments as parties position themselves for a new campaign.