Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said he is prepared to leave office only if parliament adopts a vote of no confidence. He made the statement during today’s parliamentary blitz control, responding directly to a question from Bogdan Bogdanov of WCC-DB, who had asked when he intended to resign.

Zhelyazkov noted that his government, formed in January, has already pushed through the 2025 state budget in March and, according to him, the economy has been performing strongly this year. He pointed to growth of around 3 percent, which he described as double the European average, and projected a record-high GDP for next year. He also underlined falling unemployment, around 5 billion leva (approximately 2.56 billion euro) to be invested from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, and revenue agencies reporting an additional 9 billion leva (around 4.6 billion euro) in collected funds. Foreign investments, he said, are also trending above levels seen in previous years.

Regarding the specific question about whether he would step down, Zhelyazkov referred to Article 89, paragraph 2 of the Constitution. This provision states that if lawmakers pass a vote of no confidence in the prime minister or the cabinet, the prime minister must submit the government’s resignation. Although another option exists, for the prime minister to resign voluntarily, Zhelyazkov’s comments made clear he does not intend to trigger such a scenario himself.

A motion of no confidence focused on economic policy is expected to be filed today by WCC-DB, MECH, and the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms. The debate and vote are set for next week, coinciding with a new protest already announced.

The question of resignation continued throughout the blitz control session. After Bogdanov, Kiril Veselinski of MECH raised the same issue, while Elisaveta Belobradova from WCC-DB even handed Zhelyazkov a printed “form” for resignation, urging him to sign it.

Further reading: More Than a Budget Crisis: Bulgaria's Gen-Z Demands a Political Reckoning