What groups are organizing the November 26, 2025 protest in Sofia and what are their demands?
Executive summary
On November 26, 2025, large protests in central Sofia were organized primarily by the opposition coalition We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (often shortened in reporting to Continue the Change or CC–DB), drawing reports of roughly 20,000 participants who rallied mainly against the government’s draft 2026 budget and proposed tax and social-contribution increases [1] [2] [3]. Multiple labour unions and sectoral groups — including branches of the Podkrepa confederation and state-agency staff demanding wage rises — held related actions or joined demonstrations with separate but overlapping demands about pay and working conditions [4] [5].
1. Who organized the main November 26 rally — a political coalition took the lead
News agencies identify the principal organizer as the opposition coalition We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (also reported simply as Continue the Change), which called and led the central demonstration in front of the National Assembly and the “Power Triangle” square in Sofia [1] [6] [7]. Multiple outlets — including Associated Press reprints and national wire coverage — attribute responsibility for the main rally organisation to that opposition grouping [1] [2].
2. What were the protest’s central demands — opposition targets budget tax hikes
Reports uniformly say the protesters were denouncing steep tax hikes and austerity measures in the draft 2026 state budget, with demonstrators forming human chains around Parliament and seeking to block lawmakers amid anger over higher social security contributions and a dividend tax increase singled out in coverage [8] [9] [3]. The crowd’s stated aim, as characterized by organizers and reporters, was to stop or alter the budget before its final parliamentary vote [1] [2].
3. Labour unions and state-agency staff: parallel and specific demands
Alongside the CC–DB-led rally, several organised labour actions took place: employees of Employment Agency, General Labour Inspectorate and Social Assistance Agency demanded that the 2026 budget include a 20% wage increase and improved working conditions for public administration staff; Podkrepa-affiliated groups (including medical and agriculture federations) were mobilising over pay and sectoral income concerns [5] [4] [10]. These union-led protests focused less on tax policy and more on salary levels and the distribution of funds in the budget [5] [10].
4. Who else turned up — cross-currents, fringe actors and clashes
Independent reporting from Bulgarian outlets notes that although CC–DB called the protest, other actors appeared in the crowd: supporters or flags of the nationalist Vuzrazhdane party were visible, and figures such as former businessman Vassil Bozhkov attempted to join but were pushed away by parts of the crowd [11] [7]. Several outlets also describe escalation: some protesters threw bottles and firecrackers, police reported injuries to officers, and demonstrators tried to overturn a police van — incidents local reporting described as either the work of “provocateurs” (including football fan groups) or spontaneous escalation [12] [11] [7].
5. Broader context — why the budget inflamed multiple constituencies
Coverage places the protests in a wider landscape of opposition from employers, trade unions and some economists: business representatives had boycotted earlier tripartite consultations, and both domestic groups and EU officials had questioned the fiscal plan’s implications as Bulgaria prepared to join the eurozone on January 1, 2026 [13] [9]. That context helps explain why a political coalition, public-sector workers and sectoral unions converged on the same day with overlapping but not identical demands [9] [5].
6. What reporting does not say or disputes among sources
Available sources do not mention a single unified manifesto beyond opposing the draft budget and demanding salary fixes for certain public employees; specifics on legally binding negotiated demands or a formally tabled list from a coalition of unions and parties are not provided in current reporting (not found in current reporting). While international wires emphasize tax hikes and an estimated turnout of about 20,000, local outlets give more nuance about multiple groups and smaller parallel protests [1] [11] [6].
7. Takeaway — a coalition-led protest with broad, distinct grievances
The November 26 demonstrations were led publicly by the opposition coalition We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria and focused on blocking or reversing the government’s draft 2026 budget and its tax/social-contribution changes [1] [2]. At the same time, trade unions and state-agency employees staged related protests demanding concrete pay increases and better working conditions, producing a confluence of political and labour grievances that produced both peaceful mass action and isolated clashes [5] [4] [7].