Students Who Took Part in Recent Anti-Government Protests Established Initiative “STOP”

Students who have participated in recent protests announced the creation of the initiative “STOP”, calling for a new approach to student policy in Bulgaria. Their demands include higher scholarships, reduced tuition fees, and paid internships. Politically, they are advocating for machine voting, the removal of “dead souls” from electoral rolls, and the abolition of the so-called “House Book" (Under recent constitutional amendments, the President must select a potential caretaker Prime Minister from a specific list of senior state officials.).

The students view the resignation of the government following the protests as the first victory in their fight for a dignified life in Bulgaria. They are now presenting new demands to the authorities, emphasising the need for increased scholarships as a top priority.

Georgi Petkov, a fourth-year Political Science student at Sofia University, said:
“Scholarships are a fundamental mechanism for supporting students financially. We see constant inflation, rising prices, and the increasing cost of living. We want scholarships to rise… The minimum scholarship should start at the poverty threshold and reach up to the minimum wage. In this system, any student with a grade of 5.00 or higher should be eligible for a scholarship.”

Students are also calling for the abolition of tuition fees for state-funded study places and a practical approach to career development, including mandatory paid internships from the second year onwards.

Martin Filipov, also a fourth-year Political Science student at Sofia University, added:
“The introduction of voting machines is a strong tool to combat the major abuses that occur. We must also consider that we live in an era of technological advancement, and machines can easily be integrated into the electoral process.”

The initiative also demands solutions to the problem of “dead souls” in voter registers and the repeal of constitutional amendments allowing the so-called “House Book” procedure for appointing caretaker governments.

Currently, the “STOP” initiative is rallying broad student support. The young activists insist that their demands be met by 10 January 2026; otherwise, they say they will return to the streets.