December 2, 2025
Tens of thousands of people gathered in cities across Bulgaria, including the capital Sofia, to protest the 2026 draft budget, which proposes higher taxes and a hike in social security contributions. The protests follow similar protests last week, which led Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov to pledge to resubmit the proposal after revisions. The demonstrations were mostly peaceful, but some clashes between protestors and police occurred in Sofia, leading to the arrest of at least 10 people.