BULGARIA’S Socialists have toppled the liberal party of the former King Simeon in a general election victory that could plunge the country into crisis as it prepares for EU entry.

It was the second time that the Bulgarian Left has thwarted the plans of Simeon Saxe-Coburg. The first was in 1946, when the six-year-old king had to flee the country. It is difficult to see how Mr Saxe-Coburg can retain a political future in the country where he has been monarch and Prime Minister.

The Socialists won just over 31 per cent in the poll on Saturday, well ahead of Mr Saxe-Coburg’s Liberals (NDSW) on only 20 per cent. A new alliance could be formed between the Socialists and the party representing ethnic Turks, the Movement for Freedom and Rights, which came third with 11.6 per cent of the vote. But the two parties still fall short of a majority by at least six seats.

One possibility is a coalition of Socialists and liberals committed to speeding reforms needed for EU entry in 2007. Sergei Stanishev, the 39-year-old Socialist leader, insists on becoming prime minister — and it would be intolerable for Mr Saxe-Coburg to serve under him. The Socialists are the successor party to the Communists, who drove the royal family into 50 years of exile.

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