00:00Hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians have taken to the streets over the past weeks,
00:05rallying against the government and its perceived failure to curb corruption.
00:10On December 11, Prime Minister Rosenziliaskov announced the resignation of his cabinet
00:16less than a year after taking office.
00:19For the first time, the main driving force behind the protests were young people from Generation Z.
00:24Among them, 26-year-old Ivailo Madjarov and Asen Lazarov.
00:30They are driven by corruption, driven by arrogance.
00:33My generation, Generation Z, will prove the need for Bulgaria.
00:38Ivailo and Asen are the founders of Active Politics, an online platform
00:43that breaks down complex political topics into simple, accessible language for young Bulgarians.
00:49They launched the project in 2021 in their spare time.
00:53For us, the problem is not that young people are apolitical.
00:58For us, the problem is that the information about our politics is explained.
01:04My generation needs to provide information on accessible language,
01:09i.e. with a clear visualization, with different images, with colors.
01:14Their posts on Instagram and TikTok explain topics such as Bulgaria's 2026 budget
01:20or the record-fast, 30-second, vote on a law giving the state control over the Russian look oil refinery.
01:27We use metafores that affect people.
01:30What can you do for 30 seconds?
01:32To get up with the bags.
01:34After one of these posts, dozens of young people
01:37urged others to step out of the network and into the streets.
01:42For us, personally, the things that happened to us, is our publication
01:45Operation Gen Z, which in Instagram has received over 350,000 souls.
01:51The Operation Gen Z was made in the first place to make the buildings
01:55and to make it clear and clear and clear decisions about what we want to do for the 2026 budget.
02:04Working with volunteers, they designed protest posters for anyone to print and bring to the square.
02:10Online, we can gather, we can communicate, we can be critical to the government,
02:15but this to go to the street is one of the most powerful ways to show.
02:19A month ago, the organization had 8,000 Instagram followers.
02:24Today, it has more than 30,000.
02:26Ahead of the largest protest on December 10th,
02:29Ivailo and Asen spent an entire day mobilizing other young people,
02:34both in Bulgaria and across the diaspora.
02:37For Ivailo and Asen, this protest wave is also personal.
02:41A continuation of the fight their parents joined during the 2013 demonstrations
02:46against some of the same political figures.
02:49Delian Beevsky, sanctioned by the US and the UK for corruption,
02:54and former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov,
02:57who's been facing numerous controversies,
02:59centered around corruption and abuse of power.
03:03I didn't understand the process so well,
03:05but from then I realized the need to explain to us.
03:09In 2013, I was in protest with my mother.
03:12He told me that we have to fight ourselves.
03:15I believe that we will continue to fight ourselves
03:17until we don't get the results that we want.
03:19We will be able to change the common efforts.
03:22We will change Bulgaria for Poland.
03:24Under Bulgaria's constitution, President Roman Radev
03:27will ask Parliament to form a new government.
03:29If that fails, he will appoint an interim administration
03:33until new elections are held.
03:36Whether the government's resignation will bring real political stability
03:40remains uncertain.
03:41After years marked by deep public distrust,
03:44corruption scandals and repeated snap elections.
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