Bulgarian government pulls budget amid fierce protests

Bulgaria’s government has made it clear it will abandon a contentious budget proposal that sparked outcry across the country as it prepares to adopt the euro. This is the most recent wave of unrest to hit the nation.

The government’s information service reported on Tuesday that it had requested the 2026 budget be withdrawn from the public because it had hoped to see higher social security contributions and tax increases.

Bulgaria has experienced seven snap elections and a number of short-lived governments since massive anti-corruption protests in 2020, which adds to years of political unrest. The nation is bitterly divided over its membership in the EU and its wider geopolitical relationship with Russia.

“Don’t let ourselves be taken advantage of.”

The most recent budget proposal, which was the first to be calculated in euros, was criticized by critics who claimed it would not only hurt the economy but also send more money to corrupt state institutions. According to Transparency International, Bulgaria is ranked as the most corrupt nation in the EU.

“We are here to protest our future,” the statement read. We want to live in a European nation, not one that is ruled by corruption and the mafia, Ventsislava Vasileva, a student who is 21 and attending the demonstration, told Agence France-Presse.

Following protests last week, the government initially promised to retract and revise the budget proposal, but it later backed away, causing yet another round of demonstrations on Monday night in major cities. According to organizers, 50 000 people participated in youth-led demonstrations in Sofia, the capital.

Demonstrators demanded that the government rewrite the draft budget or step down, using slogans like “we will not allow ourselves to be lied to, we will not allow ourselves to be robbed.” Generation Z is Coming, and Young Bulgaria Without the Mafia were on signposts in front of the parliament.

Despite being urged by organizers to maintain peaceful protests, violent verbal exchanges broke out between police and a small group of protesters. Police officers in riot gear pepper-spraying protesters, as well as officers who were surrounded by the main ruling parties’ offices, who were also hurling rocks and firecrackers at them.

Police reported that 10 people had been detained while several others had injuries.

The abandoned budget’s supporters claimed that the planned increase in spending would have been offset by higher taxes on employees and businesses as well as a sharp rise in public debt. They claimed that this would have increased inflation without boosting public services’ effectiveness.

However, the government argued that the plan was necessary to meet the eurozone’s requirement for a budget deficit under 3% of GDP.

Around half of Bulgarians oppose the adoption of the euro, fearing that retailers will profit from the switch from the lev, the country’s national currency, to raise prices.