Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev on December 2 called for early elections after the government pulled its contentious 2026 budget proposal in response to the biggest protests the country has seen in years.

Tens of thousands rallied in central Sofia late on December 1, filling the area around parliament and government buildings to denounce corruption, government mismanagement and political capture. Demonstrations also took place in Varna, Plovdiv and Burgas. Protesters demanded the ruling party step down and urged the removal of powerful political figure Delyan Peevski from public life.

“The government is discredited, resignation is urgent, and early elections are the only way forward,” Radev said in a televised address, insisting that “Bulgaria needs real change.”

Radev said the unrest was driven by frustration with entrenched governance failures, not merely by opposition to the draft budget. “Attempts to portray the protest as a rebellion against the budget underestimate the event itself,” he said. “People of all generations were present in the square. Bulgarians raised their voices against a hijacked state.”

Facing nationwide pressure, the government of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov withdrew the budget bill and pledged revisions, but ruled out resigning on December 2. The GERB-led coalition has abandoned plans for higher social security contributions and a dividend tax, which now require finding at least €1.5bn in alternative revenue.

Radev accused the ruling bloc of entrenching lawlessness and division. Bulgaria, he said, was being run by “an unprincipled assembly that divides our country into two floors – that of those in power, who are ready for any kind of incest among themselves, and that of the deceived and embittered voters.”

Addressing the oligarchs he blames for shaping Bulgarian politics, he said: “This time you underestimated the patience of the veterans of the transition. You also did not take into account the impulse of thousands of young people who love Bulgaria and joined the democratic process.”

Radev urged calm and unity amid rising tensions. “We will need unity, will and wisdom to preserve civil peace from provocations,” he said. “Bulgaria needs real change that will lead to the rule of law and the recovery of statehood… Early elections are the only way forward.”

On December 1, the president accused the ruling party of provoking unrest during the demonstrations, describing the incidents as actions “organised by the mafia.”