Madrid - Bulgaria's former King Simeon II, whose political movement swept to power in the June elections, said he had no choice but to become prime minister, according to an interview published yesterday. "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. "A lot of people are asking for it - above all the people are asking for it," he said.
The former king was exiled in 1946 at 10 years of age and returned to Bulgaria in 1996 after the fall of communist rule. In the June 17th elections the National Movement for Simeon II won half of the seats in the 240-seat assembly - one seat short of an outright majority.
The former king's National Movement has considered forming a coalition government with the former ruling Union of Democratic Forces, which won 51 seats.