Bulgarian government resigns after mass anti-corruption protests

Bulgaria's government, led by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, resigned following weeks of mass anti-corruption protests. The resignation came shortly before a scheduled no-confidence vote and amidst public frustration over economic policies and perceived government inaction on corruption. Tens of thousands of Bulgarians demonstrated in Sofia and other cities, demanding the government's resignation and protesting proposed budget plans viewed as masking corruption. President Rumen Radev also called for the government to step down. Radev will now task parliamentary parties with forming a new government, and if unsuccessful, will appoint an interim government.