Nationwide fury: Bulgarians take to the streets against corruption and the 2026 budget

In a dramatic escalation of public outrage, tens of thousands of Bulgarians flooded the streets of Sofia and major cities last night, protesting against what they decry as rampant corruption, mafia influence in politics, and a predatory 2026 state budget.

Organized by the opposition coalition “We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria” (PP-DB), the demonstration—billed as “Stop the Thefts in the Budget”—marked one of the largest anti-government rallies in the country’s recent history, rivaling the mass mobilizations of 2013 and 2020.

This was the second protest against the budget after a surprisingly massive demonstration on 26 November in Sofia.

Sofia erupts: largest protest in years blocks parliament over “worst budget in a generation”

What began as a peaceful outpouring of civic anger devolved into chaos after 9:30 p.m., with clashes involving masked provocateurs, vandalism, and police intervention, leaving a trail of shattered glass, overturned bins, and lingering questions about state security.

The protests, which stretched nearly six hours in Sofia, centered on the “Power Triangle” in the capital—a symbolic square flanked by the National Assembly, the Presidency, and the Council of Ministers.

Bulgaria: Tens of thousands of people demonstrated against the 2026 budget and called for the government to step down in fresh protests across the Balkan nation.https://t.co/alZuGEiKby pic.twitter.com/PVIQ08lO7g
— DW News (@dwnews) December 2, 2025

By early evening, the crowd swelled from the Statue of St. Sofia to the National Theatre, blocking major boulevards like Dondukov and V. Levski. Chants of “Who doesn’t jump is a pig!” (a jab at Delyan Peevski) and “Resign!” echoed through the night, accompanied by a projected light show on the Parliament building: handcuffs, a pig’s head, and the stark message, “Mafia. Come on Monday. Let’s Stop the Budget Thefts.”

Placards zeroed in on key figures—Magnitsky-sanctioned Delyan Peevski of DPS-New Beginning and Boyko Borissov of GERB—with caricatures mocking them as “snowdrops in the warm” (a jab at perceived elite comfort amid public hardship).

At the heart of the fury is the draft 2026 budget, the first prepared in euros ahead of Bulgaria’s eurozone entry on 1 January. Critics, including PP-DB leaders, argue it enshrines “thefts of public resources” through hikes in social security contributions, dividend taxes, and mandatory software for traders—measures they say burden ordinary citizens and businesses to fund state sector wage increases and oligarchic patronage.

Opposition figures like Asen Vassilev, PP chair, thundered from the stage: “This evening there’s no Real Madrid match. But Boyko’s missing. Where is Boyko to see you? Bulgaria is yours. Resign!” Vassilev, who just days ago sought only budget revisions, now demands its full withdrawal, insisting it cannot be salvaged without early elections.

The rally’s star was Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, recently released from detention amid what supporters call politically motivated charges.

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Speaking via video link from Varna—where he joined the largest local turnout since 2013—Kotsev rallied the Sofia crowd: “Bulgaria is yours,” he told the protesters, calling for the government to resign. His plight, seen as persecution by the ruling coalition, amplified calls for the Prosecutor-General’s resignation and broader rule-of-law reforms.

As darkness fell around 8 p.m., the throng morphed into a march from Independence Square toward the DPS-New Beginning headquarters on Vrabcha Street, then GERB’s offices at the National Palace of Culture (NDK).

“They got scared. They didn’t come to the square. Now we’re going to them!” declared Kiril Petkov, PP co-leader, outlining the route. Yet the procession was marred by disruptions: internet and phone signals flickered repeatedly near the Power Triangle, live streams from the stage glitched, and around 9 p.m., a suspicious power outage plunged the area around Sofia University, Orlov Bridge, and the National Library into darkness—just as marchers approached DPS headquarters. Protesters lit their way with phone flashlights; a few teens released fireworks, but were quickly isolated by the crowd.

Provocateurs and police in the spotlight

Peace shattered after 10 p.m. Groups of young men in black tracksuits, hoods, and masks—reminiscent of football ultras—emerged as provocateurs. They targeted DPS-New Beginning’s central office on Vrabcha, smashing windows and doors with stones and bottles. The melee spilled onto the Dondukov-Levski intersection, where rioters overturned metal trash containers, set them ablaze, and hurled them at gendarmes.

A GERB party club on Dondukov Boulevard was ransacked, its chairs weaponized against police. A police van and fire truck suffered broken windows; one steward was struck by a glass bottle. Ultras chanted football-style slogans, their presence transforming the protest’s tail end into a scene of anarchy.

🇧🇬 Paid Provocateurs Disrupt Peaceful #Sofia Protest in Staged Confrontation with Police (VIDEO) #Bulgaria ➡️ https://t.co/GTu31lNov3 pic.twitter.com/4N2CPKMRYC
— Novinite.com (@novinite_com) December 1, 2025

Police, initially thin on the ground along the march route, concentrated at the intersection with shields and helmets. They deployed pepper spray and formed counter-lines, but critics lambasted their response as inadequate. By 11:15 p.m., motorized gendarmerie reinforcements arrived. No serious injuries were reported—eight ambulances attended, treating minor wounds from projectiles—but Sofia Metropolitan Police detained 10 suspects by midnight.

PP-DB demanded Interior Minister Daniel Mitov’s resignation, accusing police of allowing “football ultras to assault officers.” Vassilev fumed: “This isn’t a clash between police and protesters—it’s mafia provocation to confront them. Violence must stop. The only way out: resignation and snap elections.”

President urges snap elections

President Rumen Radev echoed the call, blaming the escalation on mafia elements and urging early polls: “The violence must end.”

Petkov urged calm on Facebook: “Please keep the protest peaceful. Don’t succumb to provocations. We’ve shown we’re many and our voice is strong. No bombs, no vandalism—let’s end this united and dignified.” Ivaylo Mirchev of “Yes, Bulgaria” revealed he had phoned Mitov demanding his resignation and confronted Borissov off-camera. Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev decried “hooded hooligans” for destroying municipal property, postponing the traditional Christmas tree lighting on Alexander Nevsky Square until 2 December as a solidarity gesture: “We can’t celebrate while our citizens fight political darkness.”

DPS leader Delyan Peevski fired back, pinning blame on Radev and PP-DB: “Radev reveals his true face! We won’t let anarchy seize Bulgaria. You and PP-DB used the young people!”

GERB’s Borissov, absent from the fray, had earlier signalled willingness to revise the budget post-last week’s protests, including scaling back insurance hikes and dividend tax rises.

The ruling coalition, a fragile GERB-BSP-DPS alliance, faces a pivotal Tuesday meeting to unveil amendments, but Vassilev insists withdrawal is non-negotiable.

The unrest rippled nationwide. In Plovdiv, Burgas, Shumen, Blagoevgrad, Gotse Delchev, Lovech, and Pleven, thousands rallied peacefully against the budget and entrenched power. Varna’s turnout, bolstered by Kotsev, evoked 2013’s anti-Peevski fury but soured when a PP-DB speaker praised local ultras for unity, sparking bottles and a microphone grab by anti-party hardliners. Firecrackers popped, smoke bombs flared, and the crowd thinned to a hardcore of ultras by night’s end.

Even abroad, solidarity flared: Bulgarians in London protested outside the embassy and Tower Bridge, declaring, “We’re shoulder-to-shoulder with our compatriots. This is for our children’s future, our parents, our grandparents’ dignity. Time for our voice to be heard. Time for change.”As dawn broke, the Largo bore scars—smashed windows, charred debris—but the protesters’ message rang clear. In a nation on the cusp of euro adoption, last night’s fury underscores a deeper malaise: disgust with a “self-absorbed oligarchic mafia,” as one analyst put it.

Reporting draws from Sega and Dnevnik.bg, supplemented by BTA, Reuters

Caption: Banners denounce the “Pig Republic” (the pig being a jab to Delyan Peevski) depicting the Magnitsky-santioned politician alongside Boyko Borissov, and the piggy-bank budget. [Kalina Angelova, EUalive]