Former king of Bulgaria registers new party for
upcoming elections

SOFIA, Bulgaria
(April 9, 2001 12:24 p.m. EDT) - Former King Simeon II, who returned to Bulgaria five years ago after living most of his life in exile, Monday registered his new political party Monday for parliamentary elections.

His Simeon II National Movement, which pledges to bring ethics to politics and attract foreign investment to improve Bulgarians' lives, was expected to do well in the June 17 general elections.

"Above all, there is pain and growing anger," Simeon said. "Most of the people live in misery while some politicians live in inexplicable opulence."

In a survey in the daily newspaper Trud, more than half of 420 Bulgarians questioned in six cities said they would vote for Simeon II. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said they were "sure" they would vote for the former king, and 25 percent said they were "very likely" to do so, Trud said Monday.

No margin of error was provided, and the survey was not considered representative.

Simeon has proposed economic measures to transform Bulgarians' lives "within 800 days." The movement also seeks to end political favoritism and eliminate corruption, he said.

However, the former king's direct involvement in politics has sparked concern among some politicians who demanded that he state clearly whether he would seek a restoration of the monarchy.

Re-establishing a kingdom was not on the party's agenda, Simeon told supporters - among them, politicians, intellectuals and artists - on Sunday.

Simeon, 63, acceded to the throne at age 6 in 1943 after the death of his father, Boris III. He reigned under regencies until 1946, when the communists abolished the monarchy. The royal family then went into exile, settling eventually in Spain. Simeon returned to Bulgaria in 1996.

In the last elections, the ruling Union of Democratic Forces, headed by Prime Minister Ivan Kostov, won a comfortable 137 out of 240 seats in parliament.

But support for the center-right party has dwindled over painful economic reforms, which have yet to yield substantial improvements in the living standards of average Bulgarians, as well as corruption allegations.

Even though it has lost popular support at home, the governing party has broad international respect for its efforts to stabilize the economy through strict financial discipline. Kostov's pro-Western government has begun accession talks with the European Union and strengthened ties with NATO.

News Copyright © 2001 Interest!ALERT

-----