The Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and his minority-government have resigned before a scheduled vote of confidence in parliament and following mass protests in the capital, Sofia which have been taking place in the past few weeks. The protests were sparked to opposition to the government’s proposed budget and widespread corruption. The proposed budget hiked taxes and social security payments while increasing budget expenditure which was set at a record 46% of GDP.
Earlier today up to 150,000 people gathered in protest in Sofia in one of the biggest demonstrations in the capital’s history. Protests in the capital led by Generation Z have been taking place for weeks with many voicing their concern on democratic backsliding and rising corruption despite Bulgaria adopting the Euro. Protestors also fear the rise of the far-right parties in Bulgaria as a result of the government’s crisis. Bulgaria is set to officially join the Eurozone on January 1st.
This is not the first time that Bulgaria’s ruling-political party GERB has faced nation-wide protests over corruption. Previous Prime Minister Boyko Borisov resigned in 2021 following mass protests over corruption allegations and the GERB government in 2013 also resigned following mass protests.
GERB has been the most popular political party in Bulgaria so far and is a member of the European People’s Party.
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