Causes
Corruption
According to Transparency International, Bulgaria, in 2025, was ranked as the 2nd most corrupt government in Europe, [2] [3] as well as the poorest and most corrupt in the European Union. [2] [4] [5]
This corruption causes miscontent in the population, [6] with various protests breaking out in the past, such as the 2020–2021 Bulgarian protests , in which, corruption, was a contributing factor. [7]
Corruption was also stated as one of the reasons of the 2025 protests, [3] with such topic being discussed extensively on social media. Both Boyko Borissov and Delyan Peevski were targeted by the protests for their alleged involvement in such corruption. [8]
2026 Budget proposal
The 2026 Budget proposal was the initial spark of the current protests, [3] [5] and was criticized as the "worst budget in the last 30 years" by employer organizations. [8] The protesters argued that the budget would have risen the individual contributions to pension and social-security programs, with the result of increased taxes. [2]
Conditions of doctors in Bulgaria
The protesters argued that the healthcare system was overlooked, underfunded and pushed young and experienced doctors to migrate to other countries. [8]
This is part of a phenomenon that has been observed for decades, [9] [10] with 350 to 400 doctors leaving the country every year according to data from 2020. [11]
Protests
The very first of the series of protests took place on 26 November 2025, when a crowd of protesters gathered in Sofia, being organized by We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria. The protest drew around 20,000 people. [12] It resulted in an initial success, as the government withdrew the budget one day after the protests, promising to open talks with employers and trade unions. [13]
However, just a few days later, the decision was reversed, causing outrage especially on social media and amongst young people within Generation Z. [8]
On 1 December 2025, over 50,000 up to possibly 100,000 people showed up in a protest organized by various Generation Z groups, with the support of We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria. [5] [8] [14] The protest was heavily promoted through the use of social media (such as TikTok and Instagram) and by high-profile singers, actors and influencers, with Generation Z taking a leading role within the protests. [8] [15] The protest was dominated by people from Gen Z, [16] who made up most of the people that showed up. [8] The protest initially started as peaceful, however, it turned violent with dumpsters set alight, vandalised police vehicles, and attacks on GERB, There is Such a People and DPS offices. [15] [16] [17] However, organizers claimed that those who rioted violently were not part of the protests but were allegedly sent by the government, [16] with alleged targeted and manipulated news reportage being booed by the protesters on ground. [15] At least 71 people were arrested, [18] and 3 officers were injured. [19] On the same day, a counter protest took place in Stara Zagora against the Recovery and Sustainability Plan proposed by We continue the change - Democratic Bulgaria. [20]
After the protests the budget proposal was once again withdrawn, however, calls for the government to step down continued. [14] [21] [22]
Despite this, on 3 December 2025 protests against the government took place in Ruse, Pazardzhik, Sliven, Burgas, Varna, Montana, Veliko Tarnovo, Razgrad, Vidin, Blagoevgrad, Shumen, Yambol and Sofia, asking the leading coalition to step down and a decisive action against corruption. [23] On the same day, plans ahead for an organized protest on 4 December 2025 were already scheduled under the name of "Government Resignation" and promoted as well as organized by someone known as Marian Ivanov on Facebook. [24] [25] Rumen Radev also directly suggested that the government should have resigned, and called for a snap election to be held. [26]
On 5 December 2025, 61 MPs from the opposition in the National Assembly filed a vote of no confidence against the Bulgarian government, blaming them for alleged corruption and their failure to persue economic policies. Two Gen-Zers who participated in the protests, named Ani Bodakova and Kaloyan Vasev, were also present and were involved in the process as symbols of their generation. [27] The opposition also threatened to organize an even bigger protest if the government still decided to not step down by the following week. [28]
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