Bulgaria’s prime minister resigns after mass protests

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Rozen Zhelyazkov has resigned following protests, triggered by a draft budget for 2026 that opponents decried as unfair and corrupt.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev voiced support for protesters last week, and urged Zhelyazkov to resign in oder to make way for early legislative elections, the seventh of the sort since 2021, furthering the country's long-running political crisis.

Bulgaria is the poorest member state of the European Union, and is due to join the Eurozone on January 1, 2026 – observers noted that fears of price hikes during the currency switch fueled the protests.