Bulgaria abandons budget plan after tens of thousands protest

Bulgaria’s government said it would withdraw its controversial 2026 budget plan after massive rallies against the plan in the capital Sofia and cities across the country on Monday night.

Tens of thousands of people have participated in protests against a draft budget that they say seeks to cover up widespread government corruption.

Some masked protesters attacked the offices of the ruling conservative Gerb and DPS parties in Sofia, sparking clashes with police.

The government said on Tuesday it would abandon the plan, which would also have raised taxes. Similar protests broke out last week after preliminary plans were presented to parliament.

With Bulgaria joining the eurozone on January 1, next year’s budget will be the first time Bulgaria delivers it in euros.

Public opinion is divided over adopting the euro, with some fearing it could lead to sharp inflation in one of the EU’s poorest countries.

Protests against government corruption have been frequent in Bulgaria, which has been ruled by a short-lived government since 2020 after triggering the end of another German-led coalition.

Monday’s rally was considered the largest in the capital for years, with protesters gathering in a huge square in front of parliament and holding signs urging a change of leadership.

Large-scale protests also took place in Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Blagoevgrad and other cities.

Critics of the abandoned budget plan say they protest increases in social security contributions and taxes on dividends to fund higher spending, as well as state corruption.

“We are here to protest for our future. We want to be a European country, not a country ruled by corruption and the mafia,” Ventsislava Vasileva, a 21-year-old student, told AFP.

More than 70 people were arrested after masked protesters attacked party offices, Sofia’s interior affairs chief Lyubomir Nikolov said.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev called for an end to the violence, which he dismissed as a “mafia provocation” and urged everyone to obey the law.

“Provocation does not change the fact that Bulgarians say no to this government,” he said in a Facebook post before the budget was abandoned. “There is only one way out: resignation and early elections.”

As head of state, Radev mainly holds ceremonial duties.

The government is currently led by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, who formed a minority coalition in January 2025 after the center-right Gelb party won the October 2024 elections but failed to obtain a clear majority.

A parliamentary committee approved the budget plan on November 18, but Zhelyazkov later said he would delay the plan to allow more time to consult with opposition parties, unions and employers.

After Monday’s protests, Zhelyazkov’s government issued a brief statement saying it would withdraw the draft proposal and start a new budget process.

Bulgaria’s opposition parties called on the government to resign, saying abandoning the draft budget was not enough, local media reported.