
The president's resignation came against the backdrop of mass protests that began in the country in December. These protests were triggered by the spread on social media of videos showing members of the ruling coalition passing a law on local assets of "Lukoil" in just 26 seconds, as well as footage of a vote on a controversial budget project conducted during a lunch break.
On December 11, amid the protests, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Rosen Zhelyazkov, resigned.