Ex-king crowned Bulgarian poll winner

It is still unclear what role the former king will play

Ex-King Simeon II appeared to have scored an easy victory in Bulgaria's parliamentary elections on Sunday, 55 years after he was forced into exile by communists after World War II.

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Ivan Kostov conceded that his UDF party had suffered "a heavy election defeat" at the hands of Simeon II's National Movement Simeon II (NMS II).

According to exit polls conducted by MBMD agency and broadcast on national television, NMS II has won a landslide victory with between 42-44% of the vote.

Coalition talks

But the 64-year-old former king, who did not stand as a candidate himself, has refused to specify what his exact role will be.

Under the Bulgarian constitution, he could become prime minister without being an MP, but analysts have said he may prefer to pull the strings of the government behind the scenes.

Some 6.3 million people are eligible to vote

Mr Kostov said the main reason he lost was that his government was trying simultaneously to stabilise the country after a grave economic crisis in 1996-1997 and carry out reforms.

"We have taken a lot of unpopular decisions and also made mistakes," Mr Kostov said. "We wanted the voter to pay a higher price than he was prepared to pay."

Pressed on whether he could be prime minister, Simeon II said: "We are not talking about my political future. Something unique and unprecedented has happened."

He also opened the door to forming a coalition with parties "which share the main ideas of my programme," but he admitted that negotiations for such an alliance "will not be easy".

Return to power

If the results are confirmed, the results would make the 64-year-old ex-king the first monarch from central and eastern Europe to return to political power in his homeland since the collapse of communism.

Turnout in the elections for the 240 seats in the single-chamber legislature is reported to have been low, with around 50% of the 6.3 million eligible voters taking part.

Simeon II's movement was formed only two months ago by the former monarch, who was forced into exile after World War II, and has spent most of his life as a successful businessman in Spain.

He returned to his homeland earlier this year from five decades of exile to a rapturous welcome.

However Simeon II's conservative and socialist rivals accuse him of populism and empty promises.