site.btaVice President Iotova Criticizes 2026 Budget Bill for Lack of Economic Vision

Commenting on Bulgaria's 2026 state budget on Monday, Vice President Iliana Iotova told journalists that this is a budget intended to secure someone's elections without reforms, without a vision for the development of the economy. The draft 2026 state budget, Bulgaria's first in euro, was approved on first reading on November 21.

"As for the social elements in it – they cannot stand on their own," Iotova added. "When you have no production, no economy, you cannot just keep emptying the treasury." According to the Vice President, the protests, both those by the trade unions and those against the decisions of the Sofia Municipality, have a common point, which is public dissatisfaction. "Because no matter how much they try to say this is the best budget, clearly nobody is satisfied and cannot be satisfied," she added.

She described as disturbing the short timeframe between the two readings of the budget, as well as the promise of an additional EUR 10 billion in debt in 2026.

Iotova declined to answer questions on whether the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) has held discussions with her regarding her possible candidacy for president in the autumn 2026 elections.