Bulgaria scrapped budget plan after tens of thousands joined protests

Bulgaria’s government said it would withdraw its controversial 2026 budget plan after mass rallies against it took place in the capital Sofia and cities across the country on Monday night.

Tens of thousands of people joined protests to oppose the draft budget, which they said was an attempt to hide widespread government corruption.

Clashes with the police broke out when some masked protesters attacked the offices of the ruling conservative Gerb and DPS parties in Sofia.

The government announced on Tuesday that it would drop the plan, which would also raise taxes. It comes after similar protests erupted last week when the original plan was tabled in parliament.

Next year’s budget will be Bulgaria’s first budget in euros, since it joined the eurozone on January 1.

Public opinion on the adoption of the euro is divided, with some fearing that it could lead to a spike in inflation in one of the EU’s poorest countries.

Protests against government corruption are common in Bulgaria, which has been ruled by short-lived governments since 2020 after protests caused the end of another Gerbi-led coalition.

Monday’s rally is believed to be the largest in the capital for years, with protesters filling the huge square outside parliament carrying signs calling for a change in leadership.

Significant protests were also held in Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Blagoevgrad and other cities.

Critics of the abandoned budget plan said they were protesting increases in social security contributions and dividend taxes to finance more spending, as well as government corruption.

“We are here to protest for our future. We want to be a European country, not a country ruled by corruption and the mafia,” Vencislava Vasileva, a 21-year-old student, told the AFP news agency.

More than 70 people were arrested after masked protesters attacked the offices of political parties, Sofia Interior Minister Ljubomir Nikolov said.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev called for an end to the violence, which he dismissed as a “mafia provocation”, and urged everyone to respect the law.

“Provocations do not change the fact: Bulgarians said NO to this government,” he said in a Facebook post before giving up on the budget. “There is only one way out: resignation and early elections.”

As head of state, Radev has a largely ceremonial role.

The government is currently led by Prime Minister Rosen Zheljazkov, who formed a minority coalition in January 2025 after the center-right Gerb party won the October 2024 election without a clear majority.

A parliamentary committee adopted the budget plan on November 18, but Zhelyazkov later said he would delay it to allow more time for consultations with opposition parties, unions and employers.

After Monday’s protests, Željazko’s government issued a brief statement saying it would withdraw its draft proposals and begin a new budget procedure.

Bulgaria’s opposition party has called on the government to resign, saying that abandoning the draft budget is not enough, local media reported.