SOFIA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- In the wake of large-scale protests over economic policy across Bulgaria, the country's Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov formally submitted his government's resignation on Thursday, the registry of the National Assembly has confirmed.
Earlier in the day, Zhelyazkov announced his resignation minutes before lawmakers voted on a sixth no-confidence motion against his government.
Nevertheless, the motion, brought forward by opposition parties over what they described as failures in economic policy, secured only 106 votes in the 240-seat parliament, well short of the majority needed for passage. The ruling coalition didn't vote.
"Our desire is to rise to the level of what society expects. At this moment, as the constitution dictates, power stems from the sovereign and the voice of the people. We hear the voice of the citizens protesting against the government," Zhelyazkov said.
On Wednesday, tens of thousands of people protested across Bulgaria, opposing the government's economic policy. Similar rallies have been ongoing for weeks, with particular anger over the 2026 draft budget, which has been withdrawn.
Martin Dimitrov, a member of the PP-DB parliamentary group, said during a plenary debate on Wednesday that the government has reached a negative record regarding debts incurred - an average of 52 million leva (30.93 million U.S. dollars) per day in 2025, and 53.5 million leva per day average debts in 2026.
"These are your budgets. A unique negative record, unseen in the recent history of Bulgaria," Dimitrov said.
However, Minister of Finance Temenuzhka Petkova responded that there was nothing superfluous about the 2026 budget. "I wish every government to achieve and do for Bulgaria in the first 11 months of its term what we have managed to do with our modest efforts so far," she said.
Zhelyazkov's government will continue to act until the election or appointment of a new Council of Ministers. His government was sworn in on Jan. 16 after snap elections in October 2024, the seventh parliamentary election in Bulgaria in three and a half years. ■
