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  1. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    VMRO blames ruling parties for protest violence, defends youth actions

    Krasimir Karakachanov's VMRO party fired back at GERB, DPS, and PPDB for calling protesters extremists, saying the actual destruction happened during years of corrupt backroom deals between those same groups. The statement claims PP-DB is trying to snake its way back into power by pretending it...
  2. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    European Chief Prosecutor Kövesi visits Bulgaria, meets justice minister

    European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi is heading to Bulgaria for a Wednesday meeting with Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev about launching a new European Public Prosecutor's Office location in Sofia. Her office confirmed the trip after sources leaked the plans earlier. Kovesi checked progress...
  3. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Cabinet seeks to withdraw 2026 budget, parliamentary vote required

    The Joint Management Council called an emergency session at the National Assembly after the cabinet formally asked lawmakers to dump the 2026 state budget proposal, along with health insurance and social insurance spending plans. Parliament has to vote on pulling the bill since it already...
  4. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Over 70 detained after Sofia protests, provocateurs identified

    Police grabbed over 70 people after Monday night's chaos in Sofia, but none were actual protesters. Authorities say the detained crew clashed with cops around Dondukov and Vasil Levski boulevards after 10 pm, and investigators are checking if someone torched an Energoto substation on purpose to...
  5. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    EU approves €1.6 billion for Bulgaria, two milestones remain

    The European Commission green-lit Bulgaria's third payment request under its Recovery and Resilience Plan, worth 1.6 billion euros, after the country knocked out 22 reforms and 19 investment projects covering digital upgrades, climate action, healthcare improvements, and business modernization...
  6. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Government moves to withdraw 2026 budget after protests escalate

    Bulgaria's cabinet wants parliament to officially kill the 2026 budget after massive street protests forced them to hit pause, but they can't actually pull it themselves since lawmakers already passed the first reading. Parliamentary rules say only a full assembly vote can withdraw legislation...
  7. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Protests signal generational shift, youth demand end to corruption

    Journalist Yovo Nikolov told morning TV that current demonstrations rival the massive 1997 anti-Videnov protests, but this time the crowd skews way younger, with families bringing small kids because grandparents were already there. He spotted one sign reading that introverts showed up because...
  8. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Kostadinov calls for protests until the government falls, elections held

    Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov wants demonstrations to keep rolling until the cabinet quits and voters get fresh elections, claiming hundreds of thousands hit the streets demanding resignations and jail time for corrupt officials. His party says Bulgaria has been run by shameless thieves...
  9. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Protests signal government shift or early elections, experts say

    Alpha Research sociologist Genoveva Petrova said Bulgarian protests usually force either coalition reshuffles or snap elections, and this wave will keep building unless somebody restructures power. Political scientist Maria Pirgova told state media the current government is cooked as a model and...
  10. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Hristov defends budget, blames opposition for protests

    UDF leader Rumen Hristov told state TV the massive turnout caught everyone off guard, but the coalition budget was the only workable option until unions and employers complained enough to force changes. He said opposition parties can organize demonstrations all they want, but PP-DB can't expect...
  11. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Protests erupt over 2026 budget, clash with police intensifies

    Protesters in Sofia and other Bulgarian cities went off about the government's euro-based budget proposal right before the country switches to the single currency next month. Demonstrators threw rocks and fireworks at ruling party offices after cops set up barriers, and the minority government...
  12. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Denkov demands government resignation after massive protest

    Nikolay Denkov from PP-DB told BTV the massive demonstration was about government dishonesty and corruption, calling it the biggest turnout in 25 years. He separated the peaceful march from the violence that kicked off after 10 pm, saying his parliamentary group had zero connection to the...
  13. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Former police chief blames lack of control for protest violence

    Former National Police chief Vasil Vassilev told BTV that authorities knew the protest would draw massive crowds and that violent groups would show up looking to fight cops, but officers still let things get out of hand. He said the troublemakers who smashed up DPS-NN and GERB offices were...
  14. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    MP accuses police of collusion in protest chaos, calls for resignations

    Ivaylo Mirchev from We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria accused the police and the ruling coalition of deliberately pulling security during massive protests in Sofia, which let agitators start fights near the DPS-Novo Nachalo headquarters on Vrabcha Street. He called both the interior...
  15. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Budget 2026 frozen, protests flare as talks heat up

    The government pulled back its 2026 budget proposal after protests hit the streets, but officials say the process is just on pause until social partners and the state can hash out a deal. GERB's leader signaled he might give ground on dividend taxes and insurance caps, which employers have been...
  16. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Thousands protest across Bulgaria, clashes erupt in Sofia

    Massive crowds hit the streets in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas last night, demanding the government pull back its 2026 budget proposal. The capital saw the biggest turnout with protesters camping outside government buildings for hours, yelling at officials to step down. Things got messy...
  17. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Protesters demand resignation across Bulgaria, govt blames provocateurs

    A Bulgarian opposition leader is calling out what he thinks was a staged setup at recent anti-government rallies across Sofia and other major cities. The co-chair claims authorities deliberately left protesters unprotected near a monument, allowed agitators to cause chaos, and even cut power to...
  18. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Prosecutor sentenced for altering rape case statement, avoids full jail term

    A prosecutor from Chipinge got slapped with a 12-month sentence for messing with a rape victim's statement to help out the accused rapist. The regional prosecutor and a defense attorney allegedly rewrote the facts to claim the 13-year-old girl and her uncle weren't related and had consensual...
  19. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Chinese businessman charged with laundering $192k, funds seized

    A Chinese dude got busted in Harare for allegedly running an illegal money transfer scheme and dodging the country's currency rules. Authorities say the guy was taking cash from clients and sending it to China without going through official banking channels or getting Reserve Bank approval...
  20. Munyaradzi Mafaro

    Zacc launches five-year strategy to tackle corruption, but hurdles loom

    Zimbabwe's anti-corruption watchdog just dropped its second major strategy to fight graft over the next five years. The commission held a workshop to validate the plan, which targets mining, government contracts, schools, and data systems as the riskiest areas for shady dealings. The strategy...
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