BULGARIA: Bulgaria's Socialist Party said yesterday it would not offer the former king, Simeon Saxe-Coburg, a chance to carry on as prime minister, after they defeated his allies but failed to win an overall majority in a hard-fought general election.
The European Union is pressurising Bulgaria's politicians to form a new coalition government as quickly as possible, to allow the Balkan nation to press on with reforms that are vital if it is to join the bloc with Romania in 2007.
The centrist party led by Mr Saxe-Coburg, which ran Bulgaria with a steady but unspectacular hand for the last four years, has suggested they would join forces with the Socialists (BSP) if the former monarch was allowed to retain the job of premier.
But Socialist leader Sergey Stanishev rejected such a deal yesterday. "We insist that in the formation of a coalition government, the role of leader should be taken by the political party that won the election," he said.
"Bulgaria has no time to waste and we cannot allow ourselves to get stuck in haggling."
Apparently referring to himself, he added: "The BSP has its own candidate for the post of prime minister but talks and consultations have not yet begun."
Informal discussions are believed to have taken place between the Socialists, who took 31 per cent of Saturday's vote, and Mr Saxe-Coburg's party, which took almost 20 per cent.
The third-placed Movement for Rights and Freedom has already agreed to join a coalition led by the Socialists, which rose from the ashes of Bulgaria's Communist Party.
Brussels warned Sofia this week that "the clock is ticking" on its bid for membership, which is under intense scrutiny following the rejection of the EU constitution by France and Holland, largely over fears about the effects of expansion.
Many Bulgarians had hoped the Socialists would help break the impasse quickly by bowing to Mr Saxe-Coburg's demand for the top government job; others, though, were angered at his apparent reluctance to leave power. "Even kings are not married to their thrones for eternity. In republics, prime ministers come and go," wrote Georgi Traikov, deputy editor-in-chief of the Trud newspaper.
"The key is to overcome personal interests in the name of the state."