Bulgaria’s prime minister announced Thursday, December 11, that his government was resigning after less than a year in office following a series of anti corruption protests. Jeliazkov’s announcement came just ahead of a vote in parliament on a no confidence motion that the opposition had filed against the government.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Bulgaria on Wednesday, December 10, to protest against the government and corruption, marking the latest mass demonstration since the end of last month. The protests were triggered by a 2026 draft budget, which critics branded as an attempt to mask rampant corruption. Although the government withdrew the budget last week, public anger continued to swell.
“The government resigns today,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov told reporters after a meeting of the ruling parties’ leaders. “People of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, and religions have spoken out in favour of resignation. That is why this civic energy must be supported and encouraged.”
The European Union’s poorest country is scheduled to join the eurozone on January 1, and analysts say the resignation is unlikely to derail the process. However, low public trust in Bulgarian institutions and rising concerns about prices ahead of the currency shift have deepened unease.
“Bulgarian society is in a situation of very broad unity against the country’s model of governance,” Dobromir Jeliazkov, director of the Market Links sociological agency, told AFP. “Levels of trust in the Bulgarian government and parliament remain close to historic lows, which is yet another indicator of the severe political and institutional crisis the country is facing,” he added.
Last week, President Rumen Radev openly backed the protesters and urged the government to step down to make way for early elections. On Wednesday, tens of thousands rallied outside the parliament building in Sofia alone, according to an AFP journalist at the scene. Demonstrators chanted “Resign” and raised signs reading “I’m fed up!” alongside caricatures of politicians.
Shop worker Gergana Gelkova, 24, told AFP she joined the protests because widespread corruption had become “intolerable.” Most of her friends had already left Bulgaria and did not plan to return, she added.
Bulgaria ranks among the lowest EU members on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. The country has held seven snap elections since massive anti graft protests in 2020 targeted the government of three time prime minister Boyko Borissov. Borissov’s conservative GERB party won the most recent election last year, forming the coalition government that has now resigned.
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