On Dec. 10, 2025, tens of thousands of people joined anti-government protests across Bulgaria, accusing the center-right government of widespread corruption and demanding its resignation days before the country's planned switch to the euro.
The demonstrations were triggered in part by the government's budget proposal, which called for higher taxes, increased social-security contributions and more spending. After last week's protests, the cabinet withdrew the 2026 budget plan, but the anger did not fade. Instead, it broadened into a direct challenge to Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov's minority coalition government and to the role of oligarchic influence in Bulgarian politics.
In Sofia, students and other protesters filled the central square where the parliament, government and presidency buildings stand. They chanted for resignation and accused the government of serving mafia interests. Organizers said the turnout exceeded last week's rallies, which had already drawn more than 50,000 people. Media estimates based on drone visuals suggested the crowd may have topped 100,000. No violence was reported and the protests ended peacefully.
A major target of the demonstrations was Delyan Peevski, a sanctioned politician and oligarch whose MRF New Beginning party backs the government. Opponents accuse him of shaping policy in line with private interests, and his presence in the governing arrangement has become a symbol of the corruption claims driving the protests. The opposition coalition We Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria called a no-confidence vote, the sixth such motion against the government, with the ballot set for Thursday.
President Rumen Radev, who opposes the government, said on Facebook that the demonstrations amounted to a vote of no confidence in the cabinet. He urged lawmakers to listen to the people and choose between democratic dignity and dependence when they voted. That intervention matters because it underscores how isolated the government has become as public frustration spills from the streets into parliament.
The timing could hardly be worse. Bulgaria, a country of 6.4 million people, is due to become the 21st member of the eurozone on Jan. 1, replacing the lev with the euro. The transition is supposed to mark closer integration with Europe, yet the protests show how deeply domestic legitimacy problems can shadow a major institutional milestone.
Bulgaria now enters a familiar cycle: street pressure, parliamentary maneuvering and another test of whether the political system can produce a government the public is willing to trust.
The protests also revealed how quickly a budget fight can become a broader legitimacy crisis. The government had already withdrawn its 2026 budget proposal after the first wave of demonstrations, but the anger over taxes, social-security contributions and corruption claims kept growing. By the time the crowd filled Sofia's central square, the issue was no longer only fiscal policy. It was whether Zhelyazkov's minority coalition could survive as the country prepared to join the eurozone. With another confidence vote pending, the answer looked increasingly uncertain.
With euro adoption approaching, the protests turned into a warning that economic integration will not mute anger over corruption.
That leaves the government trying to calm voters who are angry not just about the budget, but about the system behind it.
