Citizens Wanted: Volunteers to Protect Bulgaria’s Upcoming Elections
The opposition party “We Continue Change” (WCC) has launched a campaign to recruit volunteers to serve as guarantors of fair elections, under the slogan “It will happen this way.”
The coalition "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) appears to be on the verge of splitting over the upcoming fourth vote of no confidence against the government of Rosen Zhelyazkov. According to Club Z, no unified decision has been reached within the parliamentary group regarding how to vote.
Representatives from "We Continue the Change" have already declared their intention to support the motion to overthrow the government. Party members Vasil Pandov and Radoslav Ribarski confirmed this stance in interviews with BNT and BNR, respectively. On the other hand, Democratic Bulgaria (DB) has yet to take a definitive position. Ivaylo Mirchev of DB said that the matter would be discussed internally but suggested no consensus might be reached. Sources close to the coalition indicate that "We Continue the Change" may proceed with their decision independently of their partners.
The shift by WCC in favor of the no-confidence vote follows recent developments, including an Anti-Corruption Commission operation in Varna and the arrest of Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, a member of WCC. This move also comes shortly after Bulgaria’s formal approval by European institutions to join the eurozone, scheduled for January 1, 2026 - a process requiring significant institutional preparation.
Democratic Bulgaria, however, argues that the vote of no confidence should only be considered after September. Mirchev emphasized that DB will not back votes initiated "under the Russian flag," referring to the current initiators from "Greatness," "Revival," and MECH. According to Club Z, DB is expected to abstain from participating in the vote, effectively supporting the government by not providing the necessary votes for its dismissal. To succeed, the no-confidence motion requires at least 121 votes, and without DB’s participation, this threshold is unlikely to be met.
The WCC-DB coalition holds 36 seats in total, evenly split between the two parties, with two additional deputies, Yavor Bojankov and Daniel Lorer. Though initially aligned with WCC, Bojankov and Lorer distanced themselves following a conflict over the election of the National Assembly Speaker and now lean closer to DB.
In recent statements, WCC deputies described the current government as "disgusting governance" and expressed strong opposition to it. Both Pandov and Ribarski announced their support for the fourth no-confidence vote, initiated by the "Greatness" party and backed by opposition forces including GERB, BSP, TISP, and Delyan Peevski's DPS.
Previously, WCC-DB had not supported earlier no-confidence votes driven by "Revival," MECH, and "Greatness." However, after Bulgaria's eurozone admission was secured and following the arrest of Kotsev, WCC changed its position. Meanwhile, officially, DB remains silent on its intentions.
The upcoming vote focuses on ecological issues, while the three previous attempts targeted the government’s fiscal policy, anti-corruption efforts, and foreign policy failures. Pandov mentioned that WCC plans to consider filing its own no-confidence motion on the topic of judicial reform, citing the latest European Commission report, which highlights stalled reforms and lack of independent institutions in Bulgaria.
Despite the combined opposition efforts - including WCC-DB, "Revival," MECH, and "Greatness" - the number of votes remains insufficient to unseat the government, as the required majority remains out of reach.
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