site.btaSocialists Urge Sofia Mayor to Come Down over Waste Crisis

The BSP – United Left coalition on Tuesday called on Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev to step down over an ongoing waste crisis in the Bulgarian capital. In a statement released by the party press office, it said Terziev has proven beyond any doubt that he is unable to perform his duties as mayor of Sofia.

Several boroughs of Bulgaria's capital have been experiencing waste collection issues since October 2025. The crisis began in the boroughs of Lyulin and Krasno Selo after Sofia City Hall refused to sign new waste collection contracts over inflated prices. At the time, Mayor Terziev said that Sofia Municipality would not pay a protection racket fee and would not yield to “mafia practices”. In early December, Izgrev, Poduyane, and Slatina joined the list of boroughs with disrupted waste collection. A temporary collection system has been in force since. During the first days of 2026, citizens reported difficulties with waste collection in several areas, including the Lyulin, Poduyane, and Slatina boroughs. City Hall representatives said the backlog in collection in critical areas of Sofia will be cleared. 

According to BSP – United Left, just over two years of Terziev’s administration have produced a series of crises that have made life in what should be a European capital unbearable. “This is not what the citizens of Sofia pay for, nor what they deserve,” the coalition said adding that the Mayor should vacate "a post he is clearly unable to manage and spare Sofia residents further hardship.

The statement further argues that, in addition to the delayed tender for waste collection companies, the public procurement process did not set maximum prices, leaving the door open to corrupt practices. BSP – United Left said it had proposed a solution to the problem - creating a municipal enterprise to take over waste collection and disposal—but that this proposal has inexplicably been rejected for years.