Ex-King's movement wins poll

SOFIA: Bulgaria's ex- King Simeon II led his two-month-old political movement to a resounding general election victory, leaving main-line parties to bargain for a place in an offered coalition. The Prime Minister, Mr. Ivan Kostov, admitted that his UDF party had suffered ``a heavy election defeat'' in Sunday's vote, and hinted at stepping down as party leader. A visibly elated Mr. Simeon told a news conference: ``After today, Bulgaria is different. Together, we are embarking on a path of economic and moral renovation. It will not be an easy one, there will be many obstacles, but we will not give up.'' At the age of 64, Mr. Simeon becomes the first ex-monarch to regain political power in a former East European communist state. Aides said projections gave his National Movement 43 per cent of the vote, similar to most exit polls. This would translate into 117 seats in the 240- member single chamber parliament. The tall, bald and bearded former king was exiled from Bulgaria at the age of nine - three years after acceding to the throne - after a rigged referendum abolished the monarchy in 1946. He ran a business consultancy in Madrid before entering politics in Bulgaria in April. He voted for the first time in his life to a hero's welcome in a Sofia suburb on Sunday.

- Reuters

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Section  : International
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