site.btaParliament Rejects President’s Proposal for National Referendum on Euro Adoption in 2026

Parliament on Wednesday rejected President Rumen Radev’s proposal for holding a national referendum on the adoption of the euro in 2026, with 81 votes in favor, 135 against, and three abstentions. The decision comes less than a month before Bulgaria is set to join the eurozone from January 1, 2026.

After the vote, National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan announced that Parliament’s decision would be promulgated in the State Gazette.

No representative of the presidential institution appeared in the plenary hall to present the motives behind the proposal for a national plebiscite.

In his reasoning, the head of State said that the introduction of the single European currency can and should take place with strong national consensus and with the inner conviction of the people, not through disregard for their will. Every Bulgarian citizen has the right to express an opinion regarding their money and well-being, he notes. According to the President, the referendum would be beneficial for Bulgarian democracy, giving people a voice and allowing all arguments to be heard.

During the debate, MPs from Vazrazhdane unfurled a banner in front of the parliamentary rostrum reading: “Referendum for the lev! No to the euro.” National Assembly Chair Nazaryan said that this was prohibited in the plenary hall.

The proposal for a referendum was submitted by the President on May 12, 2025, was rejected by then Parliament Chair Nataliya Kiselova and was reintroduced to the legislature after a Constitutional Court ruling said that Kiselova had acted unconstitutionally.