Mass rally in Sofia calls for dismissal of chief prosecutor and fair elections

Tens of thousands of Bulgarians again took to the streets of central Sofia, blocking key boulevards in two protests that later merged into one, directed against what demonstrators describe as an illegitimate chief prosecutor, a captured judiciary and entrenched political corruption.

Тhe first rally gathered in front of the imposing Palace of Justice and targeted the leadership of the Prosecutor’s Office, which protesters accuse of carrying out politically motivated actions against the democratic opposition. Acting Chief Prosecutor Borislav Sarafov has been publicly labelled an usurper of the post after the Supreme Court of Cassation ruled that his mandate had expired 5 months ago.

Sarafov has been serving as Acting Chief Prosecutor since June 2023, following the dismissal of former Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). Sarafov was the sole candidate for the permanent post, but in January the parliament amended the Judicial System Act, effectively terminating the selection procedure on the grounds that the SJC conducting it has been operating with an expired mandate since 2022.

The amendments also stipulate that the position of Acting Chief Prosecutor may not be held by the same individual for more than six months. As the law entered into force on 21 January while Sarafov was already serving in an acting capacity, his mandate expired on 21 July.

Despite this, Sarafov has refused to step down, while the Supreme Judicial Council has taken the position that the new legal provision will apply only to the next Acting Chief Prosecutor.

It was also telling that when European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi was in Sofia earlier this month to open the new office of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in the country, she did not include a bilateral meeting with Sarafov in her programme. Sarafov, for his part, did not attend the opening of the building, citing a three-day leave of absence.

Balkan prosecutors’ gathering serves as fig leaf for Bulgaria’s host alleged illegitimacy

Previous protests in Sofia have already led to the fall of a government formed around former prime minister Boyko Borissov’s GERB party and Delyan Peevski. This time, the central demand was for early elections organised under fair conditions. Bulgaria has long been notorious for vote-buying and controlled voting, particularly in rural areas and poorer small towns, where local power brokers exert significant influence.

Bulgaria is experiencing an unprecedented crisis of legitimacy within its justice system. The mandates of key judicial bodies expired years ago, while political influence has prevented their renewal or replacement.

Sarafov has been accused by the opposition of acting in line with the interests of Delyan Peevski, a powerful political figure sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom for corruption. Peevski’s role became the unifying theme of the protests on Thursday, 18 December, which took place both in front of the Palace of Justice and the National Assembly.

Tens of thousands of citizens gathered outside parliament following a call by the pro-EU coalition ‘We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria’ under the slogan “Don’t feed the pig with your money”. For years, Peevski has been portrayed by his critics as a “pig”, a reference to what they describe as his excessive accumulation of illegitimate political and economic power.

Demonstrators blocked the area between the Presidency, the Council of Ministers, the Bulgarian National Bank and the Palace of Justice in central Sofia. The authorities deployed hundreds of police officers to secure the perimeter around parliament and the government buildings.

Large video screens set up during the protest showed footage from earlier demonstrations, as well as past public statements by Borissov and Peevski, further fuelling the anger of the crowd.

Laser projections on the façades of the National Assembly and the Council of Ministers read: “Machine voting now”, “Don’t feed the pig” and “Sarafov out”. The opposition is calling for the reinstatement of machine voting, arguing that paper ballots have enabled widespread electoral fraud.

Calls for free and fair elections were the most frequently heard slogans throughout the evening. “The rule of law must be our common cause,” said one of the speakers from the stage at the start of the rally.

Placards demanding “Free and fair elections” were more numerous than those directly targeting Peevski, underlining the broader focus of the protest.

The rally also produced a new protest chant, with demonstrators singing: “When Peevski falls, we will stand together and send him to prison.”

One protester, Simeon, told EUalive partner agency BGNES that he was demonstrating against what he described as Bulgaria’s long-standing corrupt model of governance, established after 9 September 1944, when the Kingdom of Bulgaria was occupied and transformed into a communist totalitarian state aligned with the Soviet Union.

“It is crucial that we protest without giving up, until we remove this corrupt and post-communist system of rule,” he said.

Many protesters carried EU flags to underline the pro-European nature of the demonstration and to signal that they would not allow President Rumen Radev to capitalise politically on the protests.

Asen Vassilev, leader of ‘We Continue the Change’, told the crowd that returning the state to its citizens would be a long process, beginning with free and fair elections. He urged people to register as election observers.

Nearly one million Bulgarians protest oligarchy as Borissov hints at January resignation

“The government has resigned, but we are not finished with it. We will not be finished until elections are called. No relaxation. Elections,” Vassilev said, thanking citizens for mobilising once again.

“If you had not been here tonight, they would have continued with their abuses. They believe they can deceive you, just as they have been deceiving young doctors for months. They introduced a budget, said they would withdraw it, then amend it, and yesterday they reintroduced the same corrupt budget. The only reason it was stopped today is because you are here,” he added.

During the protest, organisers called on citizens to volunteer as observers in any snap elections expected next year, in order to safeguard the integrity of the vote. Whenever the names of GERB leader Boyko Borissov, outgoing interior minister Daniel Mitov or Delyan Peevski were mentioned from the stage, the crowd responded with loud jeers.

The protest ended with the Bulgarian national anthem, as thousands of mobile phone lights illuminated the square.

Caption: Still frame from a video of the 18 December protest, broadcast by We Continue the Change on Facebook.