A contentious budget, endemic corruption and political arrogance caught on camera all combined to trigger mass protests.

On December 1, Bulgaria's Gen Z took to the streets in the largest nationwide demonstrations in decades, demanding that next year's budget be revoked and that the government resign.

Although the government responded to the protests by introducing a new draft budget that postpones tax and social contribution increases for two years, it is unlikely to be enough to quell Gen Z's frustration as it prepares to return to the streets again on Wednesday.

Indeed, the events of the past ten days have revealed a widening rift between the ruling parties and young people.

"The budget was the reason to protest, but the root cause is that we see no prospects for staying in Bulgaria, starting a business or building a family," said 18-year-old high school student Martin Atanassov, who joined the demonstrations.

Gen Z's growing interest in politics

Gen Z is the first generation in Bulgaria to have no personal memories of either the communist regime, which ruled the country from 1944 to 1989, or the hyperinflation crisis of the late 1990s.

In a country where turnout barely reached 39% in the last parliamentary election, young people have become increasingly engaged in politics since the mass protests began.

Their demands range from better healthcare to improved job opportunities.

The fight against corruption

"At its heart, Gen Z's political demand is for an end to corruption," said Mimi Shishkova, a publisher and influencer who has become a key figure for Gen Z, with many following her political explainers online.

Although Bulgaria's economy has grown significantly since joining the EU, the country ranks second-to-last in the bloc in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 — just ahead of Hungary.

Many protesters believe that two men in particular are responsible for the country's current predicament: Boyko Borissov, three-time prime minister between 2009 and 2021 and leader of the ruling GERB party, and oligarch Delyan Peevsky, who is sanctioned by both the US and the UK and whose DPS Novo Nachalo (New Beginning) party supports the current minority coalition in power.

Yet, as Shishkova told DW, removing them from power would only be one step in the broader fight against corruption. "It cannot be the solution itself," she said.

Two videos set the wheels in motion

"All Bulgarians have heard since childhood how corrupt this country is and what the model of Borissov and Peevsky stands for," Martin Atanassov told DW.

Atanassov is a student and youth leader who came to prominence for creating an interactive map of all road accidents in Bulgaria in an attempt to reveal structural issues relating to road safety. He believes that for many young people like him, two videos triggered the surge of frustration.

The first showed ruling politicians passing a law relating to the assets of Russian oil firm Lukoil in Bulgaria after sanctions imposed by the US. The law was passed in just 26 seconds, racing against the clock, in the absence of the opposition.

The second video showed a vote on the contested budget, which was held during the National Assembly's lunch break to avoid encountering protesters on their way out.

Both videos went viral and, says Atanassov, "came to symbolize the conquered state."

A political awakening

On the first night of peaceful demonstrations against the budget, many young people took to the streets for the first time and shared their experience with friends.

Online engagement around the issue skyrocketed. After the night of the December 1 protest, the number of users engaging with protest-related content on TikTok in Bulgaria reached 488,000 people — 70 times more than usual — according to the Balkan Free Media Initiative, which was cited by Bulgarian TV channel bTV.

The young people's message, which was used on many protest signs, was clear: "You angered the wrong generation."

Influencers, memes and protest anthems

"We find ourselves at a very difficult moment when one cannot afford not to talk about politics when so many people identify with you," said influencer Andrea Banda Banda, who works in lifestyle and entertainment but has been sharing political content for the past five years.

Between ads for fashion brands, banks and mobile phones, she also shares her thoughts on democracy and the rule of law with her nearly 100,000 Instagram followers.

Many of them told her they attended a protest for the first time in their lives because of her.

As users look for explainer formats, influencers often fill the gap in news consumption on social media, where the universal language of Gen Z is unfiltered humor.

Protest anthems targeting Peevski, memes of opposition leaders shouting "Who ordered this outrage?" during a budget commission hearing and banners like "Take your girlfriend on a date at the protest" help blend politics with pop culture.

"Ideally, it's much better to read a long analysis, but memes are a super quick way to get an idea across," Andrea Banda Banda told DW, adding that "this is the first time so many influencers have gotten involved in talking about the protests."

The political reality behind the memes

The new budget proposed by the government still envisions Bulgaria borrowing significant amounts of money and spending 45% of its GDP — an increase from around 40% in previous years.

Although the country has one of the lowest debt-to-GDP ratios in the EU, protesters fear that additional borrowing will enable the government to redistribute money unfairly toward the administration, hinder business growth and leave key sectors underfunded — particularly healthcare, where young doctors and nurses have been protesting for a wage increase all year.

According to Daniel Smilov, a political scientist and associate professor at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, tension had already been mounting, and the budget was the spark that fell on "highly flammable material."

While the government has tried to downplay the protests, labeling them as anti-euro ahead of Bulgaria's planned adoption of the currency in January 2026, the movement itself rejects that narrative.

The protests have brought together people from across the political spectrum, demanding the government's resignation. The cabinet now faces a no-confidence vote from the opposition PP-DB coalition later this week.

"Without elections it will be difficult to move forward," Smilov told DW, adding that going to the polls may "not be immediate, but it will happen in the foreseeable future."

Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan