The return of a king

Former king Simeon II: Promises to business

By Konstantin Vulkov

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Bulgaria's former king Simeon II was crowned in 1943 at the age of six, deposed three years later, and exiled by the communists for decades.

Now he is trying to make a grandiose political comeback in his former kingdom.

After having spent most of his life in exile as a businessman in Spain, he has returned to Bulgaria to lead the Simeon II National Movement (NDSV).

The NDSV's strong show in Sunday's election is impressive for a party that was formed as recently as April and registered less than 10 percent in the polls at the outset.

Using a combination of big promises and tough criticism of the government, Simeon's party seems to have touched a chord with many Bulgarians.

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While the government has managed to achieve relative financial stability through the introduction of the currency board and the economy itself grew at a robust 5.8 percent in 2000, daily life remains difficult for many average Bulgarians.

Unemployment is currently running at 18.5 percent and wages for public sector employees remain low. Moreover, the performance of the government has been overshadowed by a sequence of corruption scandals.

Simeon has said he will apply the business skills he has developed in the private sector to the Bulgarian economy. He has promised to raise living standards by shaping up the economy and cutting unemployment, banish political partisanship in the country and stamp out corruption with tough new regulations and institutions.

One of the cornerstones of his programme is a promise to hand out low or zero-interest credits to small and medium-sized companies.

“I am ready to propose a scheme of economic measures through which the famous Bulgarian industriousness and entrepreneurial spirit will transform our lives within 800 days,” the former monarch announced with much fanfare on April 6 at the former royal seat of Bulgarian kings in Vranya.

While critics have argued that Simeon's programme is long on promises and short on details of how he plans to implement them, many Bulgarians seem ready to give him a chance -- if for no other reason then because he seems like a fresh face on the political scene after 10 years of economic difficulties and tales of corruption.

Simeon has been keeping his cards close to his chest about his plans for the future government and his own role in it. He has not made it clear who will serve as prime minister if the NDSV wins and some rumours suggest that the party might opt for Sofia Mayor Stefan Sofianski as its candidate for prime minister.

The coalition has focused its campaign on criticisms of the economic hardships associated with the government's economic reforms.

Simeon's party has insisted that it would seek a coalition with like-minded parties, and has named the governing ODS as a potential partner. "If there is a need to form a coalition, it will be on the basis of principles. We will never give up our support of development of the capital markets," said NDSV official Nikolai Vasilev.