World agencies covered the anti-government protests in Bulgaria last night, noting that tens of thousands of people in the capital Sofia and other cities demanded the resignation of the cabinet three weeks before the country adopts the euro as its currency.
Thousands of Bulgarians gathered to protest against the minority government and against, in their opinion, its inability to deal with endemic corruption in the poorest country in the European Union, Reuters points out.
Agence France-Presse notes that tens of thousands of protesters have again demanded the resignation of the cabinet in Bulgaria.
The title of the TASS information on the subject is similar: Tens of thousands of Bulgarians demand the resignation of the government in street protests.
Tens of thousands of people joined the anti-government protests throughout Bulgaria, the Associated Press also reports.
The headline of the DPA article reads: Tens of thousands of people demanded the resignation of the Bulgarian government.
The protests in the capital Sofia and dozens of other cities are the latest in a series of demonstrations in the Black Sea country. They are taking place at a time when Bulgaria is preparing to adopt the euro on January 1, Reuters reports.
The protesters used lasers to project the words "Resignation", "Mafia out" and "For fair elections" on the National Assembly building in downtown Sofia.
Tomorrow, the Bulgarian parliament will vote on a vote of no confidence in the government of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov - the sixth of its kind since it took power on January 15 this year.
Opposition parties and other organizations said they were protesting plans to increase social security contributions and dividend taxes to finance higher state spending.
Last week, the government withdrew the 2026 budget - the first to be denominated in euros - amid mass protests. However, the protests continue in full force in a country where people have voted for parliament seven times in the past four years, most recently in October 2024, amid deep political and social divisions, Reuters notes.
Tens of thousands of people protested in Sofia today against the Bulgarian government - another of the unprecedented rallies in the country in recent years, where anger has focused on the 2026 budget, summarizes Agence France-Presse.
For the third time in three weeks, demonstrators gathered on Independence Square in front of the parliament in Sofia, chanting "Resignation!" and raising banners with the inscriptions "Enough!" and "Get out!".
The mobilization at the call of the reformist and pro-Western coalition "Continuing the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" (PP-DB) gathered thousands of people in other cities across the country, AFP notes.
The wave of discontent, with significant participation of young people, rose at the end of last month, when the government tried to adopt the budget for next year - the first to be calculated in euros - through an accelerated procedure. This happened at a time when the small Balkan country - the poorest in the European Union, is preparing to introduce the single European currency on January 1, AFP notes.
In the end, the government withdrew the draft budget and presented a new one at the beginning of this week. However, this did not calm the anger of the dissatisfied, AFP notes.
TASS indicates that several tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in the so-called Triangle of Power in Sofia. A large-scale peaceful rally in Bulgaria, organized by opposition parties, demands the resignation of the government and early parliamentary elections.
"We will not allow ourselves to be deceived, we will not allow ourselves to be robbed", "The circus is over! It is time for resignation and trial", "The mafia's rule in Bulgaria is over!", "Mafia out!", the protesters chanted.
In addition to the resignation of the government, the demonstrators demand a change in the country's system of governance, most notably the removal from power of Boyko Borisov, the leader of the political party "Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria" (GERB), and Delyan Peevski, the leader of the political coalition "DPS - New Beginning", who, in their opinion, bear the main responsibility for Bulgaria's current problems, TASS notes. The protest comes as the opposition-led government faces a vote of no confidence in its economic policies, which parliament will vote on tomorrow.
Tens of thousands of people took part in the latest mass protests across Bulgaria on Sunday, accusing the government of rampant corruption, the Associated Press reported. The protests highlighted political divisions in the country just weeks before it adopts the euro as its official currency early next year.
The demonstrations followed protests last week over the government's budget plans for higher taxes, increased social security contributions and increased state spending. The cabinet later withdrew the controversial draft budget for 2026. However, the protesters' demands have since broadened to include calls for the resignation of the center-right government of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, the AP reports.
Students from Sofia universities joined the protests, which organizers said were larger than the rallies that drew more than 50,000 people last week. Based on drone footage, media outlets estimate the number of protesters last night at over 100,000.
The Associated Press also notes the peaceful nature of the protests, which ended peacefully and without reports of violence.
Tens of thousands of people across Bulgaria demanded the resignation of the pro-Western government three weeks before the EU country is set to adopt the euro. In the capital Sofia, Plovdiv, the Black Sea cities of Varna and Burgas, as well as in many other places, mainly young people took to the streets yesterday, accusing the cabinet of corruption, DPA reports.
The agency specifies that the protests were called by the opposition coalition PP-DB, which is against the government but is also pro-Western.
The minority cabinet, consisting of conservatives, socialists and populists, relies on the support in parliament of another political force - "DPS - New Beginning", DPA notes. The agency points out that the leader of "DPS - New Beginning" Delyan Peevski, who according to the opposition is a controversial figure, is sanctioned by the United States and Great Britain for corruption.