The Chairman of “We Continue the Change“ Assen Vassilev asked Prime Minister Rumen Radev to explain the decision of the Constitutional Court on the 2026 budget and to announce what the new political “assembly“ is. The occasion for his statement was Radev's position that the protests aim to create a new ruling majority.
“Radev should come to the protest and announce the new assembly“, Vassilev wrote on “Facebook“. He linked his call to the prime minister's participation in the opening of an energy storage battery together with MP Delyan Dobrev and asked whether this was not a form of political agreement.
Vassilev also issued sharp warnings to the prime minister, stating that if he does not provide explanations to the protesters, “you will be stoned“. His words are part of a political attack, not a decision by the protest organizers.
What the Constitutional Court ruled
The Constitutional Court did not declare the 2026 budget unconstitutional in its entirety. The court left the law in force, but repealed several provisions adopted through its transitional and final texts. Among them are the changes in the Labor Code related to the calculation of length of service, as well as the text that binds the remuneration of judges, prosecutors and investigators to 60% of the basic deputy salary.
The court did not rule on the merits of the case with the minimum wage. The reason is that the contested text has already been changed and its effect has expired. The decision was issued in constitutional case No. 15/2026 and the related cases No. 16/2026 and No. 18/2026.
The repealed provisions will not cease to be effective on the day the decision is announced. The decisions of the Constitutional Court enter into force three days after their promulgation in the “State Gazette“, after which the texts declared unconstitutional will no longer be applied.
The protest in Sofia
Vassilev's statement was made against the backdrop of a protest in front of the presidency against President Iliana Yotova and Prime Minister Rumen Radev. The demonstration was under the slogan “Your “peace“ is capitulation! Your “diplomacy“ - isolation!“. The organizers insisted on a tougher security policy and closer coordination with Bulgaria's allies in the European Union and NATO.
Separately, young doctors protested in front of the Ministry of Health under the slogan “Aren't you ashamed“. They stated that they were a priority for the government only in words, and the two protests were expected to merge.
Vasilev also stated that in his opinion the resignations of Galab Donev and Natalia Efremova are next. He accused the government of not protecting the interests of the citizens, but of the oligarchy, and linked his political criticism to the government's actions on security issues, the war in Ukraine, and relations with NATO.
Sources: news.bg