He was only nine when he was forced into exile more than half a century ago, but Bulgarians never forgot their former king, Simeon II. Two months after his triumphant return, voters desperate for a fairy-tale ending to the poverty, unemployment and other real-world woes that followed communism have put Simeon Saxe-Coburg back on top - not as king, but a potential prime minister. ''He is at least rich and won't be stealing like the incumbents,'' said Alexandra Georgieva, a postal clerk in the depressed industrial town of Pernik, after voting for Simeon's new party in Sunday's parliamentary election. Based on unofficial results released Monday, a party Simeon started just a few months ago will have more than half the seats in the newly elected Parliament. Simeon, who smiles shyly when aides call him ''Your Majesty,'' has yet to say whether he, as party leader, will accept the job of prime minister. The 64-year-old father of five wanted the mostly ceremonial post of president - a job more suitable for a royal - but a court ruled he hadn't lived in Bulgaria long enough yet to run. So far he has rejected all suggestions about restoring the monarchy. ''There are more important things we have to think about at this point,'' is his usual answer. Polls show few Bulgarians want him or anyone back on a throne. Yet they are drawn to Simeon's aristocratic bearing and message of honesty and reconciliation - a refreshing change from the bickering politicians and corruption scandals they've endured since communism ended in 1989. Tall and slim with a thin beard, Simeon smiles down benevolently from campaign posters across Bulgaria. During his election campaign, he mixed easily with ordinary voters, visited monasteries to chat with clergy and reached out to minority groups such as Gypsies or Romanies. He slips easily into colloquial Bulgarian - one of at least five languages in which he's fluent. And he's known to enjoy digging into traditional Bulgarian dishes such as white bean soup, stuffed peppers and grape leaves and roasted lamb. Which is not to say he's just a normal guy. When Simeon was born in 1937, his father, King Boris, was so delighted to have an heir that he granted amnesty to 4,000 prisoners, upgraded the exam results of every schoolchild and had an air force major fly to the river Jordan to collect water for his son's baptism. In 1943, his father died suddenly following a meeting with Adolf Hitler. (Bulgaria joined the Axis under threat of invasion, giving Hitler lukewarm support, but withdrew in 1944 when the Communists, aided by the Soviet Red Army, seized power.) The six-year-old Simeon was proclaimed king by Parliament and ruled through regents, although he reportedly was such a quick study that he was sitting in on meetings with the prime minister. But in 1946 the monarchy was abolished in a referendum, widely believed to have been rigged by the Communists, and Simeon fled with his mother, Queen Ioanna, into exile in Egypt. To this day, Simeon counts among his friends several rich Arab monarchs with whom he studied as a boy. In 1951, Spain granted the royal family asylum and the royals moved there, where Simeon studied law and business administration. He spent a year at Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania, where he graduated with the rank of second lieutenant. Perhaps understandably, he likes history books. His favourite music is Orthodox chanting and his hobby is ''work.'' For 13 years he was chairman of the Spanish subsidiary of Thomson CSF, the French defence and electronics group recently renamed Thales SA. He's also worked as a consultant, forging connections with business leaders - not to mention royal relatives across Europe - that many hope he can use to attract investment to Bulgaria. Simeon and his team of young, Western-educated experts - few of whom have any political experience - have promised to improve his impoverished country's fortunes within 800 days. He has promised job creation programs, pay increases and tax cuts to spur investment in a country where average wages barely top $100 a month and nearly one of every five workers doesn't have a job. The belt-tightening policies of the centre-right government elected four years ago stabilized the currency and boosted economic growth but have failed to improve living standards. Sitting in the shadow of century-old oak trees at the royal residence, which the Bulgarian government gave back to his family in 1998, Simeon talks optimistically about the future. ''Exile is the best schooling for a king, provided he can return!'' he said.
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