Bulgarian parliament approves government’s resignation amid large-scale protests
Photo: Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov (Getty Images)
On Friday, December 12, the Bulgarian parliament approved the resignation of the government of the country’s Prime Minister, Rosen Zhelyazkov, SeeNews reports.
The decision to accept the government’s resignation was supported by all 227 parliamentarians present during the vote. The three parties of the ruling coalition held 102 of the 240 seats in parliament.
Zhelyazkov’s resignation statement came just before a scheduled no-confidence vote.
Moreover, it occurred less than 24 hours after tens of thousands of people gathered at anti-government and anti-corruption rallies in Sofia and other major cities.
According to Reuters, on the evening of Wednesday, December 10, thousands of people protested in the Bulgarian capital and dozens of other cities. The demonstrations initially began in opposition to the parameters of Bulgaria’s first euro-denominated budget for 2026.
The discontent later escalated into demands for the complete resignation of the government and a political system reset. Protesters opposed the minority government and what they described as its inability to combat corruption.
Earlier, on December 2, in Belgium, former EU diplomat Federica Mogherini was questioned as part of an investigation into the potential misuse of EU funds.
As part of the same investigation, law enforcement also questioned former Secretary-General of the European External Action Service Stefano Sannino, after which he resigned early.
The EU recently indicated to Ukraine that effective anti-corruption measures are a mandatory condition for joining the bloc.
