Tens of thousands of people on Thursday filled the streets of Bulgaria’s capital and other major cities in the country, calling for a fair election and an independent judiciary able to effectively fight widespread corruption.
The demonstrations in Sofia and elsewhere came after last week’s protests sparked by the government’s budget plans for higher taxes and spending increases. The government later withdrew the contentious 2026 budget plan but eventually bowed to people’s demands and stepped down.
Now, President Rumen Radev is expected to appoint a caretaker government and set the date for the next early vote—the eighth since 2021.
On Thursday, people insisted on fair and free elections rather than polls compromised by vote manipulation, vote-buying, and falsification of election results as in the previous campaign.
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Bulgarians Protest Widespread Graft and Call for a Fair Election
12/19/2025
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