Bulgaria ⁠to hold snap parliamentary election on April 19 after protests

Eighth vote in just five years follows government resignation after weeks of protests over budget, alleged corruption.Published On 18 Feb 2026Bulgaria ⁠will hold a snap parliamentary election on April 19, President Iliana Iotova has said.The announcement on Wednesday comes after the resignation of the previous government in December following weeks of anticorruption protests.Last week, Iotova tapped Andrey Gyurov, deputy governor of ⁠the Bulgarian National Bank, to head a caretaker government tasked with preparing the way for the vote.“I will make a decree to have elections on the 19th of April,” Iotova told ⁠a news conference on Wednesday, after meeting Gyurov, ⁠who presented the members ⁠of his caretaker government.Bulgaria, which joined the eurozone on January 1, has faced prolonged political ‌instability, with parties unable to form stable ruling coalitions in a fragmented ‌parliament.The upcoming parliamentary election will be ‌the eighth in just five years in the country.The conservative GERB party came first in the most recent election in 2024, forming a coalition government.People, however, began taking to the streets in late November over the 2026 draft budget, with protesters branded it as an attempt to mask rampant corruption.Last month, Bulgaria’s longtime President Rumen Radev, a vocal government critic who supported the protests, announced his resignation amid speculation that he was looking to take part in the elections.In an address to the nation, Radev, 62, said at the time he was eager to participate in the “battle for the future” of the European Union and NATO member.He was replaced by his deputy, Iotova. New presidential elections are expected later this year.