Bulgaria's former king, who has just returned from a perfectly timed voyage abroad on which he embarked as his party started to fall apart, called for ceasefire between the two warring sides.

True to his style, Simeon Saxe-Coburg has urged his MPs to focus constructively on their legislative work in parliament and the projects on the agenda of NMSP party, Darik radio reported.

Saxe-Coburg voiced the appeal during Tuesday's meeting of NMSP parliamentary group, which shrank to 38 after fourteen mavericks dissented to set up their own parliamentary group.

Simeon Saxe-Coburg has reportedly called on his still loyal party members not to waste energy in battles and conflicts with their former colleagues.

Even though the rebel faction, called "Bulgarian New Democracy", was expected to be joined by at least two more members of Simeon's party at the beginning of this week, no further letters of resignation have been tabled so far.

Simeon Saxe-Coburg must be anxiously waiting to see how many more will join the ranks of the faction, knowing that the critical minimum for his parliamentary group is 34.

Anything else would mean complete surrender to the ethnic Turks partner in the ruling coalition and would call for a new coalition agreement.

The Socialists, NMSP and ethnic Turk MRF party now has a comfortable majority of 154 MPs in the 240-seat legislature.

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