The Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Rosen Zheliazkovannounced this Thursday the complete resignation of his governmentcornered by weeks of massive protests in the streets of the country, where tens of thousands of citizens demanded his departure by accusations of corruption and lack of structural reforms. Resignation occurs just three weeks before Bulgaria adopts the euro as its official currencywhich opens a new stage of political instability on the threshold of its full integration into the euro zone.
Zheliazkov appeared before the media on Thursday to communicate his decision a few hours before Parliament voted on a new motion of censure. “Our coalition came together, we discussed the current situation, the challenges we face and the decisions we must make responsibly,” he said.
Zheliazkov came to power in January 2025, at the head of a coalition led by the Conservative Party. Sheafwith the parliamentary support of Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and the populist group There is such a people (ITN). From the start, his government was fragile: it operated in a minority and had already faced six motions of censure in less than a year.
The trigger for the crisis was the draft budget for 2026, which was to be the first in euros and provided for increases in taxes and social security contributions. Although the executive eventually withdrew the plan after initial protests, this gesture proved insufficient. What the streets were demanding was not a change in numbers, but a change in the system.
“We cannot repair the country without first repairing the justice system. If the judicial system is reformed, the rest will fall under its own weight”said Dobri Lakov, a protester in Sofia. “Resignation”, “No more mafia”, “For fair elections” were chanted during the demonstrations.
The banners were repeated for weeks. The demonstrations, led in many cases by young people from Generation Z— spread across the country, with a special force in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. In the capital, demonstrators projected slogans on the facade of Parliament.
In the background, a deep distrust of the political class, illustrated by the maintenance of links with oligarchs like Delyan Peevski, is under international sanctions and accused of controlling key spheres of power. His proximity to the GERB party was one of the causes of the irreversible wear and tear of the Executive.
Organizations such as Transparency International place Bulgaria among the European Union countries where corruption is most perceived, just behind Hungary And Romania. Citizens were not only protesting against an unpopular budget, but also against a way of governing in which private interests, lack of transparency and judicial impunity are part of the institutional landscape.
“The government cannot deliver the real change that society demands. It is time to give the voice back to the people,” the president said. Rumen Radevwhich had previously demanded the resignation of the executive and must now decide whether to form a technical government or call early elections. Bulgaria, which celebrated seven general elections in the last four yearsthus enters a new stage of transition without it being clear who will manage the coming months. Social unrest, parliamentary weakness and suspicions of corruption continue to mark the path of a country which, in the eyes of many, has not yet completed its democratic transition.
The crisis breaks out at the worst time. Bulgaria is set to adopt the euro as its official currency on January 1, 2026, replacing the lev. Brussels assured that the timetable was maintained, but in practice The country enters the common currency with a political vacuum at the center of power. There are fears, however, that internal instability could affect the technical and political implementation of the currency exchange system and the country’s institutional credibility.
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