Simeon Saxe-Coburg will be the 48th Prime Minister of Bulgaria since 1879, when this country was liberated from Ottoman domination. He will head Bulgaria`s 88th government (the 24th since the establishment of the republic in 1946 and the 10th since the start of democratic changes in 1989). Simeon will be the first ex-monarch to become head of government not only in Bulgaria`s but also in Europe`s contemporary history. He will replace Ivan Kostov, who took office on May 21, 1997 and resigned on July 6, 2001, having completed a full four-year term of office. The first Bulgarian post-Liberation government, in office between July 5 and November 24, 1879, was headed by Todor Bourmov. The first republican government (65th in the overall chronology) was formed by Georgi Dimitrov on November 23, 1946. It governed the country until December 11, 1947. The first Prime Minister after the democratic changes in 1989 was Andrei Loukanov. Between December 1990 and May 1997, Bulgaria had seven cabinets.