Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov stunned parliament by announcing his entire cabinet’s immediate resignation, just minutes before a scheduled no-confidence vote.
The surprise move came after weeks of massive anti-government protests across Sofia and major cities, fueled by anger over corruption, soaring living costs, and a controversial 2026 budget that raises taxes and social contributions.
President Rumen Radev had openly backed the protests and called for the government’s removal.
Zhelyazkov’s fragile minority coalition, in power less than a year, said the decision respected “the voice of the people.”
The collapse deepens Bulgaria’s political crisis, its eighth in four years, and threatens stability just weeks before the country’s planned euro adoption on January 1, 2026.
