Former Prime Minister and current MP from opposition party "We Continue the Change", Nikolai Denkov, said that the demand for the government's resignation came directly from the public during the mass demonstrations the previous night in Sofia, and that the opposition was obliged to respond. According to him, the initial intention of the protest was to press for the withdrawal of the 2026 draft budget, but the chants in the streets made it clear that the call had shifted to a much broader demand. Denkov stressed that the escalation of tensions occurred after 10 p.m. and rejected suggestions that "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) had a role in the provocations, adding that if Delyan Peevski and President Rumen Radev wanted to compare political campaigns, the contrast would be obvious.

Denkov repeated that a cabinet that cannot produce its own budget cannot remain in office. When pressed on whether the opposition wanted only budget changes or the full resignation of the Zhelyazkov government, he said the situation had evolved and the answer was now clear. He also said the prime minister and Interior Minister Daniel Mitov should explain whether they had received warnings from the security services about potential provocations before the clashes began.

He confirmed that he had spoken with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov during the night, urging him to restore order in the city center. Denkov described the conversation as one between two prime ministers and added only that Zhelyazkov appeared to be facing a difficult situation. He also argued that if the National Security Agency had not alerted the authorities about planned provocations, its acting head should resign.

Meanwhile, Kostadin Kostadinov, the leader of another opposition force - "Revival," declared that protests should continue until the cabinet steps down and early elections are called. In his statement, he claimed that tens of thousands in Sofia and many more across Bulgaria had come out with the same goals: resignation, judicial accountability and prison for what he called a ruling mafia. He accused the governing coalition of seeking to prolong a system of corruption persisting for decades and insisted that citizens must not allow themselves to be manipulated. He urged voters to participate in elections not for personal gain, but for dignity and freedom.

Speaking also on the events, Denkov reiterated that WCC-DB was now formally demanding the government’s resignation, saying that the calls heard in the streets demonstrated that society expected more than just a new budget proposal. He presented the protests as a clear message that the cabinet lacked legitimacy. He also said Zhelyazkov was attempting to reestablish control in the capital, but that the situation on the ground showed the government was losing its grip.

President Rumen Radev was the first to publicly declare that the government must resign and that new elections were needed. "Morality, Unity, Honor" (MECH) leader Radostin Vassilev used the moment to call for Bulgaria to abandon the adoption of the euro. DB’s Ivaylo Mirchev, when asked about the future of the cabinet, insisted that the first steps must include the resignation of Interior Minister Daniel Mitov and the withdrawal of the budget proposal. According to him, the government had already lost legitimacy, a position reflected in their previously submitted vote of no confidence.

Mirchev added that in light of the previous night's events, it was clear the ruling majority could not govern. He said Delyan Peevski should be removed from influence, and reaffirmed that WCC-DB would not join any alternative parliamentary majority under the current conditions.

Bozhidar Bozhanov, co-chair of "Yes, Bulgaria" (party of WCC-DB), argued that no government acting rationally could insist on staying after seeing the public anger expressed across major cities including Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. He described the protest as peaceful and massive, and said attempts to discredit it by focusing on provocateurs did not reflect the wider picture. According to him, the provocations had been orchestrated, likely by figures within the ruling party, pointing to what he called an inadequate police response.

Bozhanov said that when protesters moved toward the Levski Monument, there were no officers present, allowing provocateurs to act freely. He noted that he had contacted the interior minister at the time because entire areas were without electricity, which created cover for the disturbances. In his view, the staging of the violence appeared deliberate. He insisted that the events would only intensify public anger, not diminish it.

He concluded that the budget must be withdrawn by Wednesday and called again for Minister Mitov’s resignation. He argued that the financial plan was harmful because of Peevski’s influence over it, claiming that this control extended to security structures that would enforce an increasingly damaging political environment.