I added the picture above to the info I shared with you below.
DW News published December 11, 2025: Bulgaria's goverment resigns after weeks of anti-corruption protests.
Weeks of protest have forced Bulgaria's center-right goverment to resign. Demonstrations began over planned tax rises, but escalated into mass anti-corruption rallies. The timing of the administration's collapse is awkward. Bulgaria is the European Union's poorest member, and is due to join the euro single currency on January 1st.
Channel 4 News published Dec 12, 2025: Gen-Z led protests bring down Bulgaria’s government.
The Bulgarian government and prime minister have resigned following weeks of anti-corruption protests across the country.
The Gen-Z led protests were driven by dissatisfaction in the government, economic grievances and the youth wanting change.
This comes 20 days before Bulgaria was set to join the Euro and follows the scrapping of a controversial budget plan which sparked the protests.
Reporter: Sarah Beale.
WION published December 19, 2025: Bulgaria Protest: Thousands Protest in Bulgaria’s Capital, Chant Anti-Government Slogans.
Mass protests have erupted in Bulgaria’s capital as thousands take to the streets chanting anti-government slogans. Demonstrators are voicing anger over political and economic issues, raising pressure on the government amid growing unrest.
Times Now World December 18, 2025: ANTI-EURO PROTEST IN BULGARIA: Protesters warn Euro Adoption Threatens Bulgarian Sovereignty.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Bulgaria’s National Bank and parliament in Sofia on Wednesday to oppose the country’s planned adoption of the euro, which is scheduled for January. Waving national flags and holding signs rejecting the single currency, demonstrators marched through the capital and confronted police near parliament, arguing that Bulgaria’s caretaker government lacks the legitimacy to approve the move.
Organisers said similar protests were held in other cities, as political tensions remain high following the resignation of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s government amid allegations of corruption and disputes over the 2026 budget.
**********
The Guardian, UK
written by Jon Henley, Europe correspondent
Thursday December 11, 2025
Bulgaria’s prime minister has handed in his government’s resignation after less than a year in office after weeks of mass street protests over its economic policies and perceived failure to tackle corruption.
Rosen Zhelyazkov announced his resignation on television shortly before parliament had been due to vote on a no-confidence motion submitted by the opposition and before the country is due to join the eurozone on 1 January.
“Our coalition met, we discussed the current situation, the challenges we face and the decisions we must responsibly make,” the prime minister said. “Our desire is to be at the level that society expects. Power stems from the voice of the people.”
After a meeting of the ruling parties’ leaders, he later added: “People of all ages, ethnic backgrounds and religions have spoken out in favour of [the government’s] resignation. This civic energy must be supported and encouraged.”
Tens of thousands of Bulgarians had rallied on Wednesday evening in the capital, Sofia, and dozens of other towns and cities across the country in the latest in a series of rolling demonstrations giving vent to the public’s growing frustration.
Protesters chanted “Resign” and held up “I’m fed up!” signs featuring caricatures of politicians.
Gergana Gelkova, 24, a shop worker, told Agence France-Presse she joined the protest because widespread corruption had become “intolerable”.
Students from Sofia’s universities joined the mass protest in the capital, which Bulgarian media estimated, based on drone visuals, had drawn more than 100,000 people in a country of just under 7 million.
Similar protests took place last week sparked by the government’s budget plans for tax increases, higher social security contributions and state spending hikes. The government later withdrew the draft 2026 budget.
Protesters had labelled the ill-fated budget as a veiled attempt to mask rampant corruption, which successive governments have failed to root out, and expanded their demands to include calls for the centre-right government to step down.
The country’s Moscow-friendly president, Rumen Radev, also called on the government to resign, saying on his Facebook page: “Between the voice of the people and the fear of the mafia. Listen to the public squares!”
Radev will now ask the parties in parliament to try to form a new government. If, as seems likely, they are unable to do so, he will put together an interim administration that will run the country until a new election – the eighth in four years – can be held.
The EU’s poorest country has been racked by political instability and uncertainty, with analysts saying that low trust in its national institutions and leaders had been exacerbated by fears of higher prices as Bulgaria prepares to adopt the euro.
No comments:
Post a Comment