Tens of thousands of individuals gathered in the capital, Sofia, and in at least a dozen other cities on Monday evening, marking the largest protests the Balkan nation has experienced in years.
In central Sofia, demonstrators filled the expansive square in front of the National Assembly building. One of the rally’s organizers estimated attendance at 50,000, according to the Bulgarian News Agency, BTA.
Protesters chanted “Resignation!” while singing and dancing, waving Bulgarian and European Union flags.
The crowd projected the words “Resign” and “Mafia” onto government buildings surrounding the square and displayed two large banners reading: “Generation Z is coming” and “Young Bulgaria without the mafia.”
Demonstrators are urging the government to adhere to its commitment to withdraw the proposed 2026 budget, which includes increased taxes on dividends and higher social security contributions.
They are also expressing frustration over public sector corruption and are calling for the resignation of the minority coalition government led by Rosen Zhelyazkov.
Bulgaria, home to 6.4 million people, is recognized as one of the most corrupt nations within the European Union. Among the 27 EU member states, only Hungary is perceived as more corrupt according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
“We are here to protest for our future. We want to be a European country, not one ruled by corruption and the mafia,” stated Ventsislava Vasileva, a 21-year-old student, in an interview with AFP news agency.
Another protester, a 24-year-old identified as Georgi, expressed his discontent with “all the arrogance” displayed by the country’s leaders and “all the lawlessness.”
The main protest in central Sofia remained peaceful, as reported by local media.
However, following the conclusion of the main rally, some protesters clashed with police, throwing rocks, bottles, and firecrackers. They also set garbage containers ablaze and vandalized a police van late on Monday, according to BTA.
Groups of protesters targeted the headquarters of the ruling party as well as another party that supports the government, BTA reported.
In response, police deployed pepper spray, resulting in at least 10 arrests and injuries to two police officers, the agency noted.
President Rumen Radev, an independent, called for an end to all violence.
He also urged the government to resign.
“There is only one way out: resignation and early elections,” Radev stated on Facebook.
Bulgaria is currently governed by a minority coalition consisting of GERB, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, and There Is Such a People (ITN).
The government is anticipated to propose amendments to the draft 2026 budget this week.
Following widespread protests across Bulgaria last week, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov pledged on November 27 that his Cabinet would withdraw the draft 2026 budget and develop a new one.
Key points of contention included increases in social security contributions and certain taxes, alongside a rise in public sector spending.
Critics are concerned about the potential economic repercussions of the budget in a country that is the poorest in the EU.
They also fear that increased funding for the public sector may further entrench corruption.
The protests occur as Bulgaria prepares to adopt the European common currency, the euro, on January 1, 2026.
Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank, cautioned last month that inflation could surge when Bulgaria joins the eurozone.
