‘Did We Do That?’ Gen Z Protesters Help Tip Balance Against Bulgaria’s Leaders

Having already undergone seven general elections in the past four years, Bulgaria’s political system has become more of a revolving door for new leaders and remains marred by chronic instability.
But as the country faces the prospect of yet another vote after its prime minister resigned and the government collapsed this week, a cautious glimmer of hope is rising that young voters may finally bring Bulgaria out of the morass.
In sheer numbers and through savvy social media campaigns, including on TikTok and Instagram, the generation of Bulgarians who were born around the turn of the century has been credited as a driving force behind the mass protests that prompted Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov to step down. Parliament officially accepted his resignation on Friday.
“I was very excited to see that a lot of Gen Z-ers took to the streets in big numbers,” Konstantin Tuzharov, a 24-year-old marketing specialist based in the capital of Sofia, said Friday. The movement marked the first time he had joined anti-government protests, which provided a sort of political baptism for him and others around the country.