Simeon to be Bulgaria's new PM

Former king Simeon II to be next Prime Minister of Bulgaria

MADRID, Spain -- Bulgaria's former King Simeon II says he had no choice but to become prime minister.

"I am left with only one alternative, that of prime minister, which is tremendous and overwhelming," Simeon was quoted as saying by the Spanish newspaper El Mundo on Sunday.

"A lot of people are asking for it, above all the people are asking for it," he said.

He also pledged to continue consultations with potential coalition partners.

The former king was exiled in 1946 at 10 years old and returned to Bulgaria in 1996 after the fall of Communist rule.

His National Movement for Simeon II swept to power in the June elections.

The party won half of the seats in the 240-seat assembly, one seat short of an outright majority.

The movement has considered forming a coalition government with the former ruling Union of Democratic Forces, which won 51 seats, and is believed to have an ally in the ethnic Turk Movement for Rights and Freedoms, which won 21 seats.

"The UDF (Union of Democratic Forces) are our natural coalition partners. ... We are positive about prospects and we will continue on Tuesday," said Plamen Panayotov, head of the movement's parliamentary group, on Friday.

The defeated center-right coalition led by the UDF, which shares Simeon's reform and pro-Western policies, has been sending mixed signals on whether it would join a coalition or remain in opposition.

The new parliament is due to convene on July 5.

"We began talks ... touched on coalition possibilities and agreed to meet again," said outgoing parliamentary speaker Yordan Sokolov, who led the UDF negotiation group.

But outgoing Prime Minister Ivan Kostov, who resigned last Tuesday, was said to favour a strong opposition role for the UDF in the next parliament.