Bulgaria: crisis, mobilizations and resignation of the government

21/12/2025

In December 2025, The Eastern European country went through a new political crisis with mobilizations that led to the resignation of the conservative government.

By Oleksandr Iskrin from Sofia.

Among the factors that triggered the crisis were economic causes, social and political. The state budget for 2026 proposed by the government contemplated an increase in taxes and social security contributions, which caused strong social unrest. At the same time, there were serious criticisms of the transparency and fairness of the budget process, aggravated by corruption accusations. Political instability marked by frequent changes of government, fragile coalitions and a weak parliamentary majority, amplified the impact of these economic and social factors. Mass protests and opposition forced the government to withdraw the budget project and resign, demonstrating that the mobilized people have determined the development of events.

The mobilizations were repeated during the month of December.

Causes of dissatisfaction with the proposed budget

The draft budget provided for a significant increase in taxes and social contributions. A large number of citizens perceived it negatively as an attempt to “cover up corruption schemes” and burden the working population even more. The measures were accompanied by fears of inflation on the eve of the adoption of the euro (the budget was drawn up for the first time in euros) and the growth of the underground economy. Consequently, different social and political sectors considered the budget project economically unbalanced and politically unpopular, and they pointed out that the protests were also due to discontent over corruption and the political system.

The adoption of the euro and fears of inflation

One of the main economic factors behind the rejection of the budget was the planned adoption of the euro in Bulgaria as of 1 to declare itself a provisional government and above all to prevent the advances of the protesters from the suburbs 2026, which intensified social fears related to prices and the cost of living, against a backdrop of unpopular tax changes and corruption allegations.

Bulgaria plans to become the 21st country in the eurozone and introduce the euro as its official currency, replacing the Bulgarian lev (1 euro = 1,95583 levs for transition). Despite the problems, the European Commission (THIS) and the European Central Bank (ECB) confirmed that Bulgaria meets the criteria to enter the eurozone on schedule. The various surveys published reflect that public opinion on the adoption of the euro is very divided and that there are strong economic concerns.: almost the 60 % of Bulgarians fear that the cost of living will increase after the introduction of the euro.

Political forces that opposed the budget

The “PP–DB” Coalition (in bulgarian: "Prodŭlzhavame Promyanata - Demokratichna Bulgaria"- “We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria”), led by Asen Vasilev opposed the budget, called to mobilize and presented a motion of censure against the government. Other political forces such as the far-right nationalists of “Vazrazhdane” joined the protests. ("Renaissance"). Even some former allies of the government coalition expressed their discontent., in particular, the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), Delyan Peevski criticized the pro-European opposition forces. The budget proposals were rejected mainly by opposition parties and civic organizations, who accused the government of corruption and social injustice.

Background to the government's decision to resign

The decision to resign was the result of prolonged social pressure. In the second half of November and at the beginning of December, a wave of protests swept the country: in Sofia and in more than a dozen cities, tens of thousands of people took to the streets (according to the media, In the capital alone, more than 100.000 protesters at the peak), with slogans like "Resignation!”, “Out with the mafia!” and “I'm fed up!”. Protesters demanded not only the withdrawal of budget initiatives, but a general change in government policy. After the initial withdrawal of the budget project under pressure from protests, the mobilizations did not stop. Protesters called the failed budget a covert attempt to hide rampant corruption that successive governments had failed to eradicate., and expanded their demands demanding the resignation of the center-right government.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announcing the resignation of the government.

On the eve of the parliamentary vote, the opposition officially initiated a motion of no confidence. In this context, Prime Minister Zhelyazkov announced his resignation in a televised message “taking into account the voice of the people”, literally on the eve of the planned vote, what translated means “the force of mobilization”. President Rumen Radev harshly criticized the corrupt practices of power and called on the government to listen to the demands of the protesters, which in turn provoked strong criticism from the ruling coalition and some pro-European sectors.. The resignation took place on 11 from December, In the face of massive mobilization and less than three weeks before Bulgaria's planned accession to the eurozone, 1 from January. The Bulgarian government resigned on Thursday, after less than a year in power (11 months), after weeks of street protests against his economic policy and his failure to combat corruption.

Parliament's reaction, the opposition, coalition partners and public opinion

Parliament unanimously approved the resignation of the government: the 227 deputies present voted in favor. The main party in the coalition, DEAR, and its leader Boyko Borissov reacted cautiously. Borissov stated that, from that moment, GERB would not participate in any “reformateo” and that I would not support any budget. He promised to turn GERB into a “strong opposition” and prepare for new elections.

Delyan Peevski, DPS leader, declared that“the winner is someone else”, implicitly recognizing that the opposition benefited from the government's resignation, while distancing his political force from responsibility for the budget failure. Opposition politicians welcomed the resignation. Asen Vasilev described it as the first step towards“a normal European country” and called for honest and fair parliamentary elections.

Activists and tens of thousands of protesters welcomed the decision, highlighting that power had finally listened to society. There were demonstrations in the streets of Sofia and in more than 25 big cities, like Plovdiv, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Razgrad, Plovdiv y Burgas; and young people were once again on the front line of the protests.

Steps after resignation

According to the Constitution, President Rumen Radev must give the mandate to form a new government to the largest parliamentary group, DEAR. Nevertheless, Borissov has already announced that he will reject the mandate, Therefore, the president will offer the opportunity to form a government to the following political forces in size. If they don't make it either, Radev will appoint a provisional government and call early parliamentary elections.

Experts predict that the elections will most likely be held in the spring of 2026. A) Yes, Bulgaria faces a new stage of political uncertainty: first an interim government and then new elections to try to form a stable majority, with a reformist “left”, with ties to the right and influence of the old Bulgarian Communist Party (PCB) without there being a revolutionary left alternative in a position to present an alternative program with substantive proposals in favor of the workers and the people.

Formation of a new government

According to the results of the last parliamentary elections, the seats of the Bulgarian Parliament 240 members are distributed as follows: “We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria” (PP–DB): second force (36 seats). "Renaissance" (Vazrazhdane): third (33); Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS): quarter (29). Then: Bulgarian Socialist Party – United Left (BSP–OL) (19), Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (APS) (19), There is such a town (ITN) (17) and other minor parties. After GERB's resignation, the president can first offer the mandate to PP–DB and, in case of rejection or impossibility of forming a majority, resort to combinations of other forces (for example, “Rebirth” or the DPS) to achieve the support of 121 deputies of the 240 of Parliament.

conclusion

The events of December 2025 in Bulgaria they demonstrated that society is capable of mobilizing against political decisions that it considers economically unfair and non-transparent. The resignation of the government was the result of a combination of social pressure, protests and the political activity of opposition forces that rejected the budget and denounced the corrupt practices of power. Parliament's reaction, of the opposition and citizens showed the division of the political elites: some tried to distance themselves from the crisis, while others saw it as an opportunity to promote systemic changes.

The next stage will be the attempt to form a government through new parliamentary coalitions or, failing that, the appointment of a provisional government and the calling of early elections, which reflects the political fragmentation of the country and a high degree of uncertainty. The absence of a consistent left alternative favors the parties to continue recreating new traps within the capitalist system and the regime., torn between the influence of European imperialism and Russian imperialism. It is necessary to build a consistent and independent left-wing project, so that the workers govern, with theregrouping of the revolutionaries How the International Socialist League promotes (LIS).