MPs Approve Withdrawal of 2026 State Budget Draft

MPs on December 3 approved the withdrawal of the state budget draft, as well as the draft budgets of the National Health Insurance Fund and the State Social Security system. The proposal, submitted by 'There Is Such a People' was supported by almost all parties and received 201 votes in favour.

Members of 'Velichie' party did not cast a vote.

At the start of the sitting, MPs from 'We Continue the change - Democratic Bulgaria' (WCC–DB) and 'Vazrazhdane' requested that Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova appear in the chamber to explain why the budgetary procedure had failed.

The proposal, however, was not accepted by Kostadin Angelov, who was chairing the National Assembly at the time.

According to him, the proposal to withdraw the budget draft did not come from the government but from 'There Is Such a People', and therefore there was no obligation for a member of the cabinet to be present.

“A week ago we were told that this was the only possible budget, and now no one is providing reasons for abandoning it,” commented Assen Vassilev from WCC–DB.

His colleague Martin Dimitrov added that even if a new budget is presented, it will not include any serious expenditure reforms and that public trust in the government has been exhausted.

Criticism of the budgetary process also came from the MECH (Morality, Unity, Honour) party.

“It’s obvious that this budget will need fixing. I’m not sure whether this government is capable of doing it, and Mitov should resign,” said Nikolay Radulov from MECH.