Coming and going: Bulgaria plunged into a political crisis
The government of Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, which had been in office for less than a year, resigned. This happened as a result of several days of protests, which are still ongoing. The rallies in the country will lead to early elections and strengthen the positions of supporters of normalization of relations with the Russian Federation, according to the expert community. One of the poorest EU states was engulfed by thousands of protests due to higher taxes, corruption and the transition to the euro. At the same time, Sofia intends to increase military spending and wants to continue helping Ukraine. Whether Bulgaria can change course is in the Izvestia article.
Why did the Bulgarian government resign
The political crisis in Bulgaria is developing rapidly. The day before, mass protests swept the country: 150 thousand people took to the streets in Sofia alone on December 10. The protesters were also supported by President Rumen Radev, whose powers are extremely limited under the constitution. As a result, right before the vote of no confidence in the country's parliament, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced the government's resignation.
— Both young and old have talked about the resignation of the government, and this civic energy must be supported. I would like to inform you that the government is resigning before the vote of no confidence," said the prime minister, who has been in office for less than a year.
Popular discontent was caused by the draft budget of Bulgaria for 2026. The document provided for an increase in social insurance contributions by 2%, as well as a reduction in the financial plan. In addition, the country has been switching to the euro since January 1, which has already caused prices to rise. After the unrest began, the government urgently withdrew the project, but this did not fix the situation: people felt the power and made new demands.
The protests in Bulgaria are caused by a whole range of reasons, Vadim Trukhachev, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, emphasized in an interview with Izvestia. For example, the population is unhappy with the risk of an influx of migrants due to the entry into force of the EU pact and the reduction of payments from European funds. Bulgaria is one of the poorest EU countries in many respects. The standard of living, purchasing power, and average incomes of the population there are significantly lower than the union average.
Bulgaria is also dissatisfied with the costs of assistance to Ukraine. Sofia has provided almost €500 million in support to Kiev. The media reported that in the spring of 2022, the country provided up to a third of Kiev's ammunition needs by transferring 52-mm and 122-mm artillery shells, mines, as well as hand-held anti-tank and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. In 2023, the country's parliament approved the transfer to Ukraine of unusable missiles for the S-300 air defense system. Despite President Radev's veto, the authorities began delivering about 100 decommissioned BTR-60PB armored personnel carriers.
Despite its modest financial capabilities, Sofia plans to increase military spending, and a contract has already been signed for the purchase of F-16 fighter jets. Under an agreement with Italy, a NATO base will also be built in the country.
How will the change of government affect relations with the Russian Federation
However, such a course leads to an increase in the influence of opposition forces. Bulgarian politics over the past five years has been a carnival of constant parliamentary elections and the collapse of government coalitions. Since 2021, citizens have already elected parliament seven times, and the last time the turnout was only 39%. Thus, people showed that they were completely disillusioned with the political system.
In the October 2024 elections, the third place (13% of the vote) was taken by the Vozrozhdenie party, which advocates the restoration of relations with Russia. The Greatness party has also entered parliament, which also opposes the current policy towards Moscow. As Vadim Trukhachev noted, the country is likely to face parliamentary elections again.
— Vozrozhdenie will increase its result, and the left—wing eurosceptics, the heirs of the Communists, may also pass. But, of course, they will not be able to form a government. In order for the picture to be different, Russia must work with Bulgarian society, the expert believes.
The current authorities are doing everything to sever ties with Russia. After the introduction of US sanctions against Lukoil, the government, despite opposition resistance, introduced external management at the Burgas refinery. Sofia also stopped purchasing Russian gas, and signed contracts with the American Westinghouse and the French Framatome to replace nuclear fuel from the Russian Federation.
According to polls, the pro-European GERB and "We Continue the Changes" parties are now leading in the preferences of Bulgarian citizens. However, no political force wins more than 30% of the vote, which means that a new stage of coalition intrigues awaits the country. If the opposition parties fail to attract a disillusioned electorate, the Euro-Atlantic forces will remain in power. In this case, Bulgaria's policy towards Russia will not change.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
