Bulgaria set for another snap election after protests oust government

Al JazeeraCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete by News Agencies,Al Jazeera StaffJanuary 16, 2026 at 12:59 PM

AI Summary

short article 2 min

Bulgaria is set to hold early elections after the leading political parties failed to form a government following the resignation of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov's cabinet in December 2025. President Rumen Radev announced the upcoming vote after the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, the third party invited, declined to form a coalition. Zhelyazkov's government resigned due to widespread protests against corruption and a proposed budget that increased taxes and social security contributions. Bulgaria has experienced significant political instability, holding seven national elections in the past four years. President Radev will now appoint a caretaker cabinet and determine the date for the next election.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

2026 ×340% Sofia 40% October 2024 Bulgarian parliamentary election 40% PP-DB 60% Alliance for Rights and Freedoms 60% GERB-SDS 60% Rosen Zhelyazkov ×270% Rumen Radev ×490% Bulgaria ×4100%

Keywords

snap election 100% bulgaria 90% political instability 80% government resignation 70% caretaker cabinet 70% rumen radev 60% protests 60% corruption 50% no-confidence motion 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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snap election bulgaria political instability government resignation caretaker cabinet rumen radev protests corruption no-confidence motion

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