- Thousands of people protested in Bulgaria on Monday
- These are the largest protests seen in the Balkan country in years
- People are generally angry about Budget 2026 and government corruption
- The original budget wanted to increase taxes and social security contributions
Thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Sofia as well as at least a dozen other cities on Monday evening in the largest protests the Balkan country has seen in years.
How did Bulgaria’s latest protest unfold?
In central Sofia, protesters packed the vast square in front of the National Assembly building. According to the Bulgarian news agency, BTA, one of the rally organizers put the attendance at 50,000.
He shouted “Resign!” Raised the slogan of. and sang and danced while waving Bulgarian and EU flags
Protesters painted the words “Resign” and “Mafia” on government buildings around the square and carried two large banners that read: “Generation Z is coming” and “Young Bulgaria without the mafia.”
Why are people protesting in Bulgaria?
Protesters want the government to stick to its promise to withdraw the 2026 budget, which proposed heavy taxes on dividends and hikes in social security contributions.
They are also angry about public sector corruption and are demanding the resignation of Rosen Zhelyazkov’s minority coalition government.
Bulgaria, with a population of 6.4 million people, is one of the most corrupt countries in the European Union. Of the 27 EU member states, only Hungary is rated as more corrupt on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
“We are here to protest for our future. We want to be a European country, not a country ruled by corruption and the mafia,” 21-year-old student Ventislava Vassileva told AFP news agency.
Another protester, a 24-year-old man who gave his name as Georgi, said he was protesting against “all the arrogance” and “all the lawlessness” shown by the country’s leaders.
Bulgarian protesters clash with police
According to local media reports, the main protest in central Sofia was peaceful.
But after the main rally broke up, some protesters clashed with police, throwing stones, bottles and firecrackers. According to the BTA, they set fire to garbage containers and destroyed a police van late Monday night.
BTA reported that groups of protesters vandalized the headquarters of the ruling party and another party supporting the government.
Police responded with pepper spray and at least 10 people were arrested and two police officers were injured, the agency said.
Independent President Rumen Radev said all violence must stop.
He also called on the government to step down.
“There is only one way out: resignation and early elections,” Radev said on Facebook.
Bulgaria is ruled by a minority coalition formed by GERB, the Bulgarian Socialist Party and There Is a People (ITN).
Why are people angry with the budget of 2026?
The government is expected to propose amendments to the proposed 2026 budget this week.
After mass protests broke out in Bulgaria last week, Prime Minister Rosen Zelyazkov promised on 27 November that his Cabinet would withdraw the draft 2026 budget and prepare a new budget.
Points of contention included increasing social security contributions and some taxes while increasing public sector spending.
Critics are concerned about the economic impact of the budget on the EU’s poorest country.
They are also concerned that greater influx into the public sector will further increase corruption.
The protest comes as the Balkan country prepares to adopt the European common currency, the euro, on January 1, 2026.
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde warned last month that inflation could rise if Bulgaria joined the euro zone.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar
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