Bulgaria Schedules Snap Election for April 19 After Protests
Last update: February 18, 2026
Disclaimer: This website may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase. We only recommend products or services that we personally use and believe will add value to our readers. Your support is appreciated!
President announces vote after anti-corruption protests topple government.
Bulgaria will hold a snap parliamentary vote on April 19, President Iliana Iotova announced on Wednesday. The election is the eighth in five years, following mass protests last year against alleged corruption.
The demonstrations led to the fall of a conservative-led government in December, deepening political uncertainty in the Balkan EU member state, which has repeatedly returned fragmented parliaments.
Last week, Iotova appointed senior central bank official Andrey Gyurov to form a caretaker government and stressed the need for fair, transparent and well-run elections.
Gyurov presented his interim cabinet on Wednesday, which is set to be sworn in by parliament.
The conservative GERB party, which led the 2024 election and formed a coalition government, faced protests in late 2025 over its draft 2026 budget, which demonstrators said masked widespread corruption.
The resignation last month of former President Rumen Radev, a supporter of the protests, left Iotova to take over. Presidential elections are expected later this year.
Bulgaria, which adopted the euro this year, has experienced repeated elections since anti-graft protests in 2020 against three-time Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
CBI News reports that the country remains among the lowest ranked in the EU on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.
