Overview
- Lawmakers accepted Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s resignation by 127–0, leaving the cabinet to serve temporarily until a successor is appointed.
- Under the constitution, the president will invite parties in order of size to try to form a cabinet; if they fail, he can name a caretaker administration and set early elections.
- Large nationwide demonstrations, estimated by organizers and media at tens of thousands and in some counts over 100,000, accelerated the collapse of the minority coalition.
- The protests began over a 2026 budget plan drafted in euros that raised taxes and social contributions, which the government later withdrew, and expanded to corruption grievances centered on sanctioned oligarch Delyan Peevski.
- The political upheaval comes weeks before Bulgaria’s planned euro adoption on January 1, with the timeline still on the calendar as consultations proceed.