French media also comment on the resignation of the Bulgarian government, BTA reported.
The French media “France 24“ emphasizes the statement of Rosen Zhelyazkov, with which he announced the resignation of his government, in which he said that people of different ages and ethnicities have demanded the resignation of the cabinet and he has decided to listen to the voice of the people. The resignation followed a series of anti-corruption protests, in which tens of thousands of people participated and which were also supported by President Rumen Radev.
The Bulgarian government resigned a day after huge protests throughout the country, writes “France Info“. On Wednesday evening, tens of thousands of people protested in the capital Sofia and other cities of the country - another demonstration of anger against the ruling party, accused of corruption. The wave of discontent, unprecedented for years and with a large participation of young people, began in late November, when the government tried to push through an accelerated procedure the budget for 2026 - the first one prepared in euros, the media commented. Rosen Zhelyazkov's decision to resign comes at a time when this small Balkan country - the poorest in the European Union - is preparing to introduce the single European currency on January 1, which further increases the anxiety of Bulgarians, who fear a price spike, points out “France Info“.
The French publication “Libération“ published information about the resignation of the Bulgarian government in a section entitled “Anger“. The same section also published an article about the nationwide strike in Portugal, the first in 11 years there, which yesterday paralyzed this country and which was organized due to dissatisfaction with the labor legislation proposed by the right-wing Portuguese government. As for the situation in Bulgaria, “Liberación“ emphasizes that the resignation of the “Jeliazkov cabinet“ followed mass protests against the draft budget, which grew into protests against the country's model of governance. The resignation came two weeks before the introduction of the euro in the Balkan country. Now, if a new government is not formed, the president will appoint an interim government and schedule elections, the newspaper writes and recalls that the president is obliged to choose as prime minister of such an interim government certain senior officials, appearing on a special list, among which are the governor of the Bulgarian Central Bank and the head of the Court of Auditors.
Information about the protests on Wednesday in Sofia and in Bulgaria, followed by the resignation of the Bulgarian government, was also published by the newspaper “Mond“. The publication states, that the protests were against corruption in the state apparatus and against the budget for the coming year and defines them as unprecedented.
An article in “Figaro“ on the subject says that the resignation of the government comes shortly before Bulgaria enters the eurozone. The process of changing the currency unit should not be affected by the political crisis, because the institutions directly involved in this process, such as the Central Bank, are independent. However, any small problem related to the introduction of the euro, such as a price increase or an ATM that has broken down, can become a matter of political debate, the publication adds, citing an opinion expressed to Agence France-Presse by Petar Ganev, a researcher at the Institute for Market Economics.
The French economic publication “Les-Eco“ writes that Bulgaria, engulfed in a political crisis, could enter the eurozone even without a government. The resignation of his cabinet announced by Rosen Zhelyazkov puts an end to a long confrontation between the government and the desperate people. The anger of the people erupted in late November when the government tried to push through the country's first budget in euros for next year, which protesters said contained measures that were an attempt to cover up the diversion of funds. Now Bulgaria is once again entering political instability, the publication adds, and also outlines the options provided for in the constitution for getting out of this situation.
The article dedicated to the situation in Bulgaria by “Les-z-Eco“ was published alongside an article that makes it clear that Spain will not have a new budget for next year for the third year in a row and will enter 2026 with the old budget, the validity of which has been extended. The same article also recalls that another EU member state - France - is in the process of complex parliamentary discussions on the draft budget for next year.
The French agency Agence France-Presse comments on the resignation of Rosen Zhelyazkov and the reasons for it yesterday in a detailed article.