site.btaVazrazhdane Leader Calls for Massive Protest in Sofia, Accuses Parliament Chair of Constitutional Overreach

Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov, whose party has been one of the staunchest opponents of a euro changeover in Bulgaria, issued Wednesday a call for citizens to gather on May 16 in Sofia for what he described as a “true National Assembly” - drawing a parallel to a historic 1876 revolutionary gathering at Oborishte. The move comes a day after National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova rejected as inadmissible a referendum proposal on the adoption of the euro by Bulgaria in 2026.

In a declaration on behalf of his parliamentary group, Kostadinov reiterated his party's position of Tuesday that Kiselova had unilaterally usurped constitutional powers, violating the principles of the rule of law and the separation of powers. “You acted alone and placed yourself above the Constitution,” he said, alleging that her decision had deeply undermined the authority of the legislative institution.

Vazrazhdane announced it would submit a formal request for Kiselova’s resignation, and pledged to seek support from other parties that have previously expressed criticism of her, including Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria.

The planned gathering on May 16 at 6:30 PM is being framed by Vazrazhdane not just as a protest, but as a symbolic act of reclaiming political legitimacy—an echo of revolutionary-era assemblies.

In April 2023, Vazrazhdane themselves submitted to parliament a petition bearing some 600,000 signatures for holding a referendum on keeping the lev as Bulgaria's national currency until 2043. The National Assembly defeated the motion, and the MPs took the case to the Constitutional Court, which ruled that such referendum was unconstitutional. Both the majority in Parliament and the Constitutional Court argued that it was unlawful to submit to a referendum on matters regulated by international treaties concluded by Bulgaria (in this case the treaty on Bulgaria's accession to the EU).

While the Constitutional Court was in session and even before the decision was rendered, Vazrazhdane staged an unprecedented protest in front of the building. As part of the demonstration, protesters burnt an effigy of a Constitutional Court judge, setting on fire a car on which the effigy was placed.