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More than 3,000 protesters chanted “Mafia” and “Renuncia” at the government headquarters in the capital, and marched to parliament.
The protests in Sofia were sparked by an unprecedented search for the presidency by armed police and prosecutors on Thursday.
President Rumen Radev’s Anti-Corruption and Legal Secretary and his security and defense adviser were arrested and questioned, and the police searched their offices in two separate investigations into the impact of trade and the disclosure of state secrets.
Protesters also gathered in at least a dozen other cities on Sunday.
Thursday’s raid sparked public outrage and caused thousands of Bulgarians to take to the streets of the capital. Protesters condemned the search as an attack by the government and the Attorney General against Radev, backed by the Socialists.
The head of state openly criticizes the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and accuses him of “ties to the oligarchs.”
Borisov refused to resign on Saturday, so his opponents posted an online petition to collect up to a million signatures for the prime minister’s resignation.
The socialist opposition in parliament also said Sunday that it will propose a vote of no confidence in a “corrupt” government next Wednesday, urging protesters to support the initiative.
Friday’s protests turned into violence and 18 people, including two beaten and hospitalized men, were detained. Those events sparked an even bigger protest, during which R. Radev, along with protesters, demanded the resignation of the ministers and the Attorney General.
Before Saturday’s demonstration, police urged participants to exercise restraint, and the Interior Ministry announced on Sunday night that there had been no incidents during the demonstration.
According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, Bulgaria, which joined the EU 13 years ago as its poorest member, also remains the bloc’s most vulnerable bloc.
A new rally is planned for the country on Monday afternoon and another protest on Thursday.
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