THOUSANDS of Bulgarians took to the streets of the capital, Sofia, and other major cities on Saturday to protest against government plans to adopt the euro and to demand a referendum on the new currency.

The flag-waving protesters, led by civic groups and nationalist parties, sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans like “freedom for the Bulgarian lev” and “the future belongs to sovereign states.”
 
The anti-euro rally came four days before the Balkan country is expected to receive a green light from Brussels to enter the Eurozone.

The demonstrators in Sofia carried flags of the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party and a huge banner that read “The battle for the Bulgarian lev is the last battle for Bulgaria.”

Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and remains one of its poorest members, plagued by years of instability that has fuelled Euroscepticism among its 6.4 million citizens. 

Fears have been growing that the economic changes could bring more poverty.

President Rumen Radev encouraged euroscepticism by proposing a referendum on the currency earlier this month, citing public concerns over inflation and purchasing power.

The proposal was turned down by the pro-EU majority in parliament, which accused President Radev of acting in favour of Moscow with his last-minute attempt to sabotage the adoption.