It is doubtful whether the resignation of the government will be a way out of the political crisis in Bulgaria, writes Reinhard Weser in "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (FAZ). The early elections, which are likely to be held soon, are unlikely to lead to a different result than the previous seven votes organized in the country since 2021.
The reasons for this forecast are mainly two, the author believes. First, there is a lack of reliable alternatives that are both convincing. And secondly, the demonstrators in Sofia and other large cities only speak on behalf of the entire country to a limited extent - since the people who took to the streets were from the well-educated, mostly pro-European urban middle class.
"This is how Bulgaria resembles Romania"
Their Western-oriented life and predominantly liberal worldview are far from that of Bulgarians in small towns and villages, continues the FACS commentator. People there may be tired of corruption, but in order to survive, they must reckon with the nepotistic forces that hold state money.
In this, Bulgaria resembles Romania, where a few years ago a powerful civil movement tried to oppose the complete takeover of the state by corrupt post-communist networks, but never managed to achieve substantial changes in the elections.
A similar opinion is expressed by Barbara Yortel in "Tageszeitung" - in an article with almost the same title. The author notes that the government's resignation was reached after thousands of protests, and the people's dissatisfaction is understandable. Bulgaria remains a hotbed of corruption reaching the highest echelons of power, and this seemingly ineradicable evil, combined with the lack of transparency and the arrogance of those in power, is primarily associated with two names: Boyko Borisov and Delyan Peevski.
Yortel notes that the long-time former prime minister and leader of GERB Boyko Borisov has never taken any action to eliminate these obvious deficits in Bulgaria. Quite the opposite, in fact. And the oligarch Delyan Peevski, who has been placed under international sanctions, whose party supported the government, is only interested in lining his own pocket.
Young people do not accept this attitude - they look to Europe, the German journalist also writes. That is why they are also addressing their protests to the EU, but the Community remains passive for now. The European People's Party, of which GERB is a part, has not given up defending Borisov. And now Bulgarians are facing new elections - the eighth since 2020. They will not offer a way out of the political crisis, and on January 1, Sofia will enter the eurozone. The prospects are not good, summarizes Yortel.
"Deutschlandfunk" also focuses on the political turmoil in Bulgaria. The media outlet recalls that according to "Transparency International" corruption in Bulgaria is widespread - in the EU only Hungary has worse indicators.
The publication quotes BNR journalist Vessela Vladkova, who says that during the ten months of the "Zhelyazkov" cabinet there has been no tangible improvement in life - there has been neither stable governance, nor reforms, nor fair justice.
Vladkova also expresses her fears that the pro-Russian President Rumen Radev, who is probably preparing to establish a pro-Russian, right-wing populist party, may ultimately win from the protests. "This person enjoys great popularity among many Bulgarians and may ultimately turn out to be the big winner."
Mimi Shishkova to "Deutschlandfunk": "A small sweet victory"
"We do not need a macho savior from the East, nor bureaucratic ghosts from the West" - under this title "Tagesspiegel" published an extensive interview with political influencer Mimi Shishkova. In it, she says that the government's resignation is a small sweet victory for the people who participated in the protests, but the big task for Bulgarian society is yet to come. Political awareness and voter turnout must increase so that citizens and the democratic community can prevent manipulation and vote buying in the next elections. Then, according to Shishkova, small, new, democratic parties would also have a chance to enter parliament and for the first time in the country's history, real political pluralism against corruption could be created.
"For the first time, oligarch Delyan Peevski and the chairman of the conservative ruling party GERB Boyko Borisov stood openly and visibly shoulder to shoulder", says the influencer, adding that in recent months they have acted with a brazenness that was excessive even by Bulgarian standards. "The last straw was the hastily adopted state budget for 2026, but there are other examples: the illegal detention of political opponents, the refusal to remove the Prosecutor General and the Supreme Judicial Council, despite their expired mandates, the crisis in healthcare and education. Added to this is the "war on the streets" between mafia gangs, which not only leads to victims, but is accepted by those responsible with startling indifference."
In the interview, Mimi Shishkova notes that the same networks and individuals who previously worked for State Security still determine politics and the economy today.
"In 2007, there were hopes that the EU could solve the problem of corruption in Bulgaria. However, European institutions can only intervene partially. Everything else is our responsibility. Changes will only come when we accept that we ourselves are responsible for the reforms, especially in the fight against corruption," says Shishkova.
In the interview, she points out that many in Bulgaria still believe that Russia liberated Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire. "However, history shows otherwise: freedom does not come from outside, it initially arises from within. That's why we don't need macho saviors from the East, nor bureaucratic ghosts from the West. We are sovereign and must negotiate with our partners as equals."