Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Resigns in the Face of Mass Protests

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, the sixth prime minister in five years, bowed out amid public anger over corruption and democratic dysfunction.VideoAnti-Corruption Protests Topple Bulgarian Government0:49Bulgaria’s prime minister resigned after less than a year in office amid mass protests against his government in recent weeks.CreditCredit...Spasiyana Sergieva/ReutersDec. 11, 2025Updated 2:00 p.m. ETBulgaria’s prime minister resigned on Thursday after less than a year in office, acknowledging “the voice of the people” after mass protests against government corruption in recent weeks.The prime minister, Rosen Zhelyazkov, was the sixth to hold the office in five years, done in like many of his predecessors by political and economic instability. His announcement came minutes before lawmakers were scheduled to vote on a no-confidence motion against his government.“Our desire is to rise to the level of what society expects,” Mr. Zhelyazkov said to reporters in Parliament in the capital, Sofia. “We have heard the voice of the people who have been protesting. We need to meet their demands, and what they are demanding at the moment is the resignation of the government.”Tens of thousands of Bulgarians protested over the past month, not only in Sofia but across the country in a rare show of nationwide solidarity. By most accounts, the demonstrators represented a range of ages but included an unusually large number of young people, a demographic not typically associated with active political engagement in Bulgaria.The movement against Mr. Zhelyazkov’s coalition government began over a proposed budget for next year that would have increased taxes and social security contributions to finance more public spending in Bulgaria, one of the European Union’s poorest countries.It was also to be the country’s first budget counted in euros as Bulgaria formally adopts it as its currency on Jan. 1. Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank, predicted last month that the move could briefly increase inflation.The protest movement grew to encompass broader issues, including corruption, said Dimitar Keranov, a Bulgarian analyst at the German Marshall Fund in Berlin. He said many people who are concerned about government corruption believe it is being perpetuated by politicians who favor alignment with Russia. “The protests may have started because of the budget, but actually it’s about where there is corruption in the government, which ultimately serves the public interest,” he said.Still, he said, the protests demonstrate how the country “is on its path” toward the West, and any perception that Bulgaria is being pulled between Europe and Russia “appears to be bigger than it actually is.”While Russia maintains influence among some of Bulgaria’s political and economic elite, it is diminishing as younger citizens come of age, said Mr. Keranov. The shift away from Russia only increased after its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Maria Tsakova, a 27-year-old communications specialist based in Sofia, said she had seen scores of younger people joining demonstrations in recent weeks. She said she viewed them as a driving force, spreading information on social media and helping to galvanize the anti-government movement.Ms. Tsakova said Bulgaria needs to end corruption and establish an independent judiciary. Originally from Varna, a port city on the Black Sea, she noted that city’s mayor was recently arrested, a move that opposition leaders have described as politically motivated.Ms. Tsakova expressed hope that the protesters can build momentum out of Mr. Zhelyazkov’s resignation. “I hope we’ll be able to sustain the same level of engagement and civic participation until the next election,” she said. “I hope Gen Z will make voting go viral.”ImagePrime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov of Bulgaria speaking to reporters on Thursday in Sofia. He was the sixth prime minister in five years.Credit...Stoyan Nenov/ReutersMr. Zhelyazkov’s resignation was “inevitable,” said Rosina Pencheva, a 38-year-old art curator and cultural event planner who attended some of the protests. “People are tired of being lied to, and they wouldn’t have rested until the government stepped down,” she said. According to a recent poll, around 70 percent of Bulgarians support the wave of protests.Bulgarians have been frustrated by enduring government corruption as well as years of democratic dysfunction. The problem is shared across much of Eastern Europe, particularly the former communist nations grappling with historical ties to Russia while turning toward the West. ImageProtesters outside Sofia University on Wednesday.Credit...Spasiyana Sergieva/ReutersBulgaria, which used to be a close ally of the Soviet Union, joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union three years later.Voter disenchantment has contributed to the extraordinary government turnover in Bulgaria, Mr. Keranov said. Mr. Zhelyazkov was only the third regularly elected prime minister since 2021.On Thursday, Mr. Zhelyazkov warned of turbulent months ahead for the country, noting that there will be no regular cabinet “to lead the country along a peaceful path” during the first months after its entry into the eurozone.The head of Bulgaria’s national bank said the shift to the euro was still going forward, despite the upheaval, the state-funded Bulgarian News Agency reported Thursday. But the budget is now likely stalled until new leadership takes power, and it was unclear when President Rumen Radev would call for new elections or begin the process of seating a caretaker government.But if nothing else, the protests were a display of what Mr. Zhelyazkov called civic energy that “must be supported, it must be encouraged.” “It was a protest for values,” he said.Lara Jakes, a Times reporter based in Rome, reports on conflict and diplomacy, with a focus on weapons and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. She has been a journalist for more than 30 years.SKIP