Election fit for a king

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Bulgaria's exiled King Simeon II says he will lead a new political grouping in the country's general election on June 17.

He would become the first monarch in post-communist eastern Europe to enter politics.

"Today I announce my intention to found and lead a new public movement, the National Movement for King Simeon II," said the King on Friday.

"Today is a turning point in my life. For decades I have lived with the duty to serve you," he added.

The election is predicted to be a close race between the ruling reformers and the opposition socialists, composed largely of former communists.

The government of Ivan Kostov, who leads the centre-right Union of Democratic Forces, holds a majority of seats in parliament.

Kostov's is the first government to serve a full four-year term since one-party rule in the Balkan state ended in 1989.

But the UDF has lost much of its support because of the painful reforms it has carried out, accompanied by declining living standards and a series of scandals involving top officials.

King Simeon, 64, originally announced his intention to seek a public role last February. This is despite being banned by the Constitutional Court from running for president.

Currently resident in Madrid, he received a rapturous welcome on his first return to Bulgaria in 1996. Since then he has frequently visited his homeland, where most of the royal property was restored to him.

He arrived In Bulgaria two days ago to announce his political plans.

The King said it was the economic suffering and growing anger of many Bulgarians that prompted his decision to enter Bulgarian politics.

"By European standards, most of our people live in misery, while some politicians bathe in inexplicable luxury," said King Simeon.

He pledged his movement would attract foreign investment and improve living standards.

His other priority will be fighting corruption, which "has become Bulgaria's major enemy by condemning its people to poverty and turning away vital foreign capital," he said.

The movement, which has yet to be registered under Bulgaria's cumbersome laws, will seek wide social support regardless of people's political affiliation and ethnic origin.

It will also try to attract political figures with "experience and professionalism". But it will not, says the King, be a coalition of existing parties or political leaders. Many smaller parties are understood to be scrambling for his patronage.

Opinion polls show the public is eager for an alternative to Bulgaria's existing political choices and the King, who has lived in exile since 1946, has emerged as a potential third force.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Embassy of Bulgaria in the U.S., Washington D.C.

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