Overview
- The Council of Ministers asked parliament to withdraw the 2026 state budget and signaled a new proposal will follow once lawmakers agree, according to an official release and state media.
- An estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people rallied in Sofia on Monday, with demonstrations also reported in Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas.
- Police reported several hospitalizations and 10 detentions after a minority of rioters threw rocks and firecrackers and officers used pepper spray near ruling party offices.
- The draft was the first calculated in euros ahead of a planned January 1 euro adoption, a shift that many Bulgarians fear will fuel inflation, with ECB chief Christine Lagarde warning of a possible price jump.
- Protesters denounced higher social-security contributions and dividend taxes and accused the plan of entrenching corruption, with some calling for the government’s resignation and targeting figures such as Delyan Peevski and Boyko Borissov.