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Bulgarian Government Resigns After Mass Youth-Led Protests Weeks Before Euro Adoption

The move triggers a constitutional reset expected to produce an interim cabinet followed by elections within two months.

Overview

  • Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov announced his government’s resignation minutes before a parliamentary censure vote.
  • Parliament must validate the resignation, then President Roumen Radev will invite parties to form a cabinet, with an interim government and snap elections required if no majority emerges.
  • Protests swelled nationwide with tens of thousands in the streets and estimates up to 150,000 in Sofia on December 10, driven largely by Generation Z demanding action on corruption.
  • The unrest was ignited by a fast-tracked 2026 budget denominated in euros that was withdrawn on December 3, with demonstrators also targeting the influence of sanctioned MP Delyan Peevski.
  • Bulgaria’s euro changeover on January 1 is still expected to proceed as planned, though public anxiety over prices remains high according to analysts and polling.