Dear Cherubs, on December 11, 2025; Bulgaria’s prime minister, Rosen Zhelyazkov, announced his cabinet would resign after weeks of mass demonstrations that forced politics into the streets. Tens of thousands — by some estimates over 100,000 in Sofia alone — turned up to demand an end to perceived corruption and the slow drip of reforms.

It was the sort of civic fury that makes politicians talk about “listening to the people” and then try to convince everyone they always had. Zhelyazkov delivered his resignation on television just minutes before a parliamentary no-confidence vote could do it for him, a strategic move that reads like a concession and a spin at once.

Protests, not just pocketbook anger
Why the streets boiled over
The immediate spark was a controversial 2026 budget that proposed higher taxes and social-security contributions; the government later pulled the plan. But the flames were fed by deeper grievances: endemic graft, weak institutions, and the uncomfortable visibility of oligarchic influence in everyday politics. As reported by AP and Reuters, many protesters accused the government of serving powerful interests rather than citizens’ needs. According to The Guardian and Euronews, students and younger urban professionals joined older voters in the crowds — a broad coalition that made the rallies hard to dismiss.

What the resignation actually means
Short answer: practical chaos, procedural continuity. Zhelyazkov’s cabinet will stay on as a caretaker administration until an interim government or new parliamentary coalition is formed. President Rumen Radev is now expected to invite parties to try to form a new cabinet; if that fails, he’ll appoint a caretaker government and call early elections. Bulgaria has had frequent votes in recent years, so an eighth ballot in four years would be messy but not unprecedented. Reuters notes this all comes on the eve of Bulgaria’s planned switch to the euro, adding economic awkwardness to political drama.

A catalogue of credibility problems
Protesters have repeatedly pointed at figures like Delyan Peevski — a controversial politician and media magnate sanctioned abroad — as emblematic of the problem. Coverage in Euronews and The Guardian emphasises that accusations of corruption are not new, and that public trust in institutions has been eroding for years. The European Commission and Transparency International have flagged Bulgaria’s rule-of-law weaknesses in recent reporting, making this moment feel less like a surprise and more like a long-overdue reckoning.

The wider picture (and the tea)
Bulgaria’s euro entry timetable complicates matters: the optics of political instability days before joining the euro isn’t ideal, though multiple outlets report accession plans remain formally on track. For citizens who marched, this was less about currency and more about who writes the rules — and who benefits. As noted by thisclaimer.com, the protests are a reminder that structural reform is sticky and that visible accountability matters more than tidy fiscal plans.

Sources list — plain text, one per line:
Reuters — https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/bulgarian-government-resigns-after-weeks-street-protests-2025-12-11/
Associated Press — https://apnews.com/article/bulgaria-government-resigns-protests-eurozone-42e9d41ff7f6b9a49403f761a4f5142d
The Guardian — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/11/bulgarian-government-resigns-mass-anti-corruption-protests
Euronews — https://www.euronews.com/2025/12/11/bulgarians-demand-government-resign-in-mass-protests-over-corruption
Le Monde — https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/12/11/bulgaria-s-prime-minister-resigns-after-mass-protests_6748387_4.html
Wikipedia (2025 Bulgarian protests) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Bulgarian_protests
thisclaimer.com — https://thisclaimer.com