Tens of thousands of people rallied in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia and other major cities on Thursday, demanding fair elections and judicial reforms to combat widespread corruption.
The protests followed the resignation of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s government earlier this month after weeks of demonstrations initially triggered by a controversial 2026 budget proposal that included tax hikes and increased spending.
Although the government withdrew the budget plan and stepped down on Dec. 11, public anger has persisted, leaving the European Union member without a regular government or approved budget just weeks before it adopts the euro on Jan. 1, 2026.
President Rumen Radev is expected to appoint a caretaker administration and call early parliamentary elections, which would be Bulgaria’s eighth since 2021.
Protesters on Thursday focused on calls for free and fair polls, free from alleged vote-buying, manipulation and result falsification seen in previous elections.
A key target of demonstrators’ frustration is sanctioned oligarch Delyan Peevski, whose MRF New Beginning party supported the outgoing GERB-led coalition under former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
Bulgaria, the EU’s poorest member with a population of 6.4 million, joined the bloc in 2007 and is set to become the eurozone’s 21st member.