The government of Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov has resigned after protesters took to the streets in cities across the country and filled the centre of the capital Sofia on Wednesday night.
Zhelyazkov’s dramatic move came ahead of a vote of no confidence in parliament, and 20 days before Bulgaria joins the euro.
Protesters had accused his minority centre-right government, in power since January, of widespread corruption. The government had already scrapped a controversial budget plan for next year in response to the demonstrations last week.
“We hear the voice of citizens protesting against the government,” Zhelyazkov said in a TV address.
“Both young and old have raised their voices for [our resignation],” he added. “This civic energy must be supported and encouraged.” A statement on the government website said ministers would continue in their roles until a new cabinet was elected.
Between 50,000 and 100,000 people turned out in Sofia’s central Triangle of Power and Independence Square on Wednesday evening calling for the government to go. The words “Resignation” and “Mafia Out” were projected onto the parliament building.
They were backed last week by President Rumen Radev who had also called on the government to stand down.
Zhelyazkov’s government had already survived five votes of no confidence and was expected to get through a sixth on Thursday.
Many of the protesters have been angered by the roles of two figures, oligarch Delyan Peevski and ex-prime minister Boyko Borissov, and Wednesday’s rally was organised under the slogan “Resignation! Peevski and Borissov Out of Power”, Bulgaria’s BTA news agency reported.
Peevski has been sanctioned by the US and UK for alleged corruption and his party has helped prop up the government.
Borissov is part of Zhelyazkov’s Gerb party, which came first in October 2024 elections, and he was reported to have said on Wednesday that the coalition parties had agreed to remain in power until Bulgaria joined the eurozone on 1 January.
Borissov was prime minister when anti-corruption protests brought down his government in 2020 and there have been seven elections since.
Despite the political drama in Sofia, Bulgaria’s move to join the euro is not seen as under threat.
In his resignation statement, the outgoing prime minister said Bulgaria faced a major challenge and its citizens would need to produce “authentic proposals” on what the next government should look like.
Bulgaria ranks among the highest in Europe in terms of the public’s perception of official corruption, according to Transparency International.
