Bulgaria's Opposition Pushes for Snap Elections After Budget Withdrawal Fails to Calm Nationwide Unrest

The opposition alliance WCC-DB escalated its criticism of the governing coalition of GERB, BSP, TISP and DPS-New Beginning on Tuesday, calling for the cabinet to step down and warning that it will submit a no-confidence vote if this does not happen. Until now, the coalition had not sought the government’s resignation, focusing instead on demands for a new draft budget for next year.

The call came shortly after a briefing, during which Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov stated that the cabinet had no intention of resigning. The exchange unfolded one day after an exceptionally large protest in Sofia, where tens of thousands demonstrated on Monday evening against the ruling party’s 2026 draft budget. Similar gatherings took place across dozens of cities nationwide, forming one of the most significant waves of public dissent in recent years.

On Tuesday morning, the government confirmed that it had submitted a request to parliament to withdraw the 2026 budget bill. "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB), however, said that this step did not resolve the underlying political crisis. Addressing GERB leader Boyko Borissov and DPS-New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski, WCC co-chair Asen Vassilev declared that the cabinet lacked the moral legitimacy to remain in office. According to him, the protesters’ message was unambiguous: they wanted the resignation of the government and the departure of both Borissov and Peevski from national politics.

Vassilev said the opposition had witnessed enough public frustration across the country to justify early elections, adding that people must be given that choice. WCC-DB issued an ultimatum for the government to resign by the week’s end. Should the cabinet refuse, the coalition vowed to introduce a no-confidence motion citing “complete failure of governance”, while also organizing new demonstrations. Ivaylo Mirchev of "Yes, Bulgaria" (part of WCC-DB) remarked that Monday’s events had been deliberately distorted, accusing individuals linked to DPS-New Beginning of organizing provocateurs.

Political reactions intensified late Monday. WCC-DB reiterated its demand for the resignation of Interior Minister Daniel Mitov, whom it had already blamed for police inaction during clashes involving provocateurs. On Tuesday, coalition leaders said that Mitov’s resignation alone would not be sufficient at this stage. President Rumen Radev also called for the government to step down and for early elections to be held.

Delyan Peevski, who was heavily targeted by protesters’ chants, issued a statement attacking both WCC-DB and President Radev, accusing them of instigating the escalation and claiming that Monday’s disturbances were caused by “their agitators”. Meanwhile, GERB’s leadership offered no formal reaction. A scheduled briefing for GERB municipal councillors was replaced by remarks from the party’s youth wing, which defended the Interior Ministry’s actions and argued that the police had fulfilled their responsibilities effectively.

Monday’s protest followed another large demonstration held the previous Wednesday, also directed at the ruling majority’s budget plans. The morning after that protest, Borissov announced that he had instructed Prime Minister Zhelyazkov and Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova to withdraw the draft budget. That position shifted by Friday, when it emerged that the budget would only be revised, rather than removed. This decision prompted WCC-DB to mobilize a new protest for Monday.

During a briefing, WCC-DB leaders described the budget’s withdrawal as a delayed tactical move and reiterated their demand for the cabinet’s resignation. Asen Vassilev addressed the peaceful nature of Monday’s march, saying that tens of thousands of citizens had demonstrated along Dondukov, Vitoshka streets and toward GERB headquarters without incident. He said the violent scenes seen elsewhere were the work of agitators who acted while the Interior Ministry did nothing to prevent escalation. According to him, attempts to provoke bloodshed remained confined near the DPS headquarters. He also pointed to an unexplained electricity outage along the original protest route but said protesters avoided escalation by changing the route. Vassilev noted that the government had eventually heeded the public and withdrawn the budget but insisted that the decision was overdue.

Further readings:

Paid Provocateurs Disrupt Peaceful Sofia Protest in Staged Confrontation with Police (VIDEO)

71 Detained After Sofia Protest, Large Cash Found Among Suspected Agitators

He reiterated that the message to Borissov and Peevski was clear: this government should resign because it no longer holds moral authority. Vassilev added that if the cabinet did not step down, WCC-DB would proceed with a no-confidence vote covering the overall policies of the Council of Ministers.

WCC-DB MP Bozhidar Bozanov argued that the budget’s withdrawal would not change the situation, saying that the government could not be trusted to produce a credible new draft, since the majority was, in his view, “entirely captured by Peevski”.

Meanwhile, the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (APS), associated with former DPS chairman Ahmed Dogan, also called for the resignation of the Zhelyazkov cabinet. In a statement published on the party’s official Facebook page, APS supported demands for early elections and urged all parliamentary groups to declare their positions and move swiftly to ensure the conditions for fair snap elections. The party called for the process to be guided by broad cooperation with civic and public organizations.

APS argued that protests across the country had demonstrated clear public rejection of what they termed the “Peevski model” of governance, describing it as a system that allows a single figure to dominate state institutions. The statement condemned the actions of the security services, saying they allowed organized provocateurs to incite vandalism in central Sofia instead of protecting peaceful demonstrators. APS added that the ongoing political crisis required responsible leadership from all parties to find a viable way forward.