The political situation in Bulgaria: "Expect the unexpected"

Bulgaria is heading towards new early elections after the government of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov resigned on December 11, 2025. This happened immediately before the sixth vote of no confidence related to the budget and economic policy. "We hear the voice of the citizens who are protesting," Zhelyazkov said when submitting his resignation to parliament. The decision is the result of accumulated public dissatisfaction, expressed through mass protests in dozens of cities in the country and among Bulgarian communities abroad that questioned the way Bulgaria is governed and demanded greater accountability.

Government resigns without waiting for vote of no confidence

The government resigned in order to avoid even greater consolidation of public energy but also to transfer the responsibility into the hands of the opposition, analysts commented immediately after the event. "The responsibility for the fact that Bulgaria is going to early elections again lies with those who refused to isolate the leader of DPS-New Beginning, Delyan Peevski, and refused to join the cordon sanitaire around him and thus doomed this government to complete delegitimisation in this short period of time in which this happened," co-chairman of "Yes, Bulgaria" Bozhidar Bozhanov said. His party is part of the coalition "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria", which initiated the protests that turned into the largest action of public discontent in the last decade.

Mass anti-government protests across Bulgaria ahead of the no-confidence vote

The civic society is calling for new faces in politics and fair elections. The question that currently has no answer is how this desire can be justified by the existing political entities and where the new “savior” will come from. In this sense, December is shaping up to be a very turbulent month for politicians in Bulgaria. The initial comments from both the largest parliamentary force GERB and the opposition “PP-DB” show that no options will be sought for reformatting the government in order to form a cabinet within the current composition of the National Assembly. However, technically such a possibility exists. Although the calculations show that a governing configuration can be found within the framework of the 51st National Assembly, it will be unacceptable in the eyes of society, due to the fact that the last elections in October 2024 were compromised due to violations and the composition of the parliament has an extremely low representativeness, as it was elected in conditions of low voter turnout – just 38% voted.

Therefore, the upcoming elections in the spring are seen as a chance to "recharge the political system with legitimacy" and increase trust in institutions.

Political chaos, anarchy before the introduction of the euro, blocking the income policy in the draft budget for 2026 are just some of the gloomy forecasts for the future, which seem to be a counterpoint to the positive energy and the feeling that change is possible among the young generation of protesters.

According to economist Petar Ganev from the Institute for Market Economics, the situation will be complicated and in order for politicians to be recognized by society as an alternative "it will no longer be enough to simply be against Peevski and be polite."

"Opposing Delyan Peevski can be a common platform for unification, but getting votes requires the parties to explain what their vision is - will they raise taxes, will the state administration be reformed, how will they attract investments, will we return to the ‘eternal’ question about the Prosecutor General... If there is no vision, it will not happen - we are already at the stage where everyone should say how they see the future of this country. This would provide some protection for citizens, because after all, this protest energy started because of the increase in the tax burden on workers. Currently this is planned in the medium-term framework for 2027-2028. And I wish those who want to gain the trust of the people would offer an alternative that also has integrity and justice, but also a budget that does not raise taxes," Ganev told BNT.

Bulgarians demonstrate intolerance toward the current model ofstate governance

What follows next? The parliamentary roulette wheel is about to be turned as the president must give a mandate for forming a new government. If the current parliament fails to elect a council of ministers, a caretaker prime minister and cabinet will be appointed with the main task of organizing the early vote. The situation in which the country finds itself with the resignation of the government on the threshold of a historic transformation related to the adoption of the common European currency does not mean power vacuum. Until the citizens have expressed their opinion during the early elections, power is exercised by the government in resignation and then by a caretaker cabinet.

"Elections are coming, as they will probably be in early March," journalist Ivan Bakalov told the Bulgarian National Radio. Many are wondering whether President Rumen Radev has the opportunity to join them as leader of a new political project in which some citizens would recognize the new "savior":

Bulgaria’s young generation shows it is ready to fight for itscivil rights

Compiled by: Elena Karkalanova