Bulgaria'sparliament has officially appointed former King, Simeon II, as the country's new prime minister.
In a 141 to 50 vote, the legislature chose the ex-monarch to lead the nation after his National Movement for Simeon II party's landslide election victory on June 17.
Simeon's government will mark the first time that ethnic Turks will be representatives in the Balkan state, where the minority group comprises some 10 percent of the population.
The position of deputy prime minister and economy minister is expected to go to 31-year-old Nikolai Vassilev, a U.S.-educated markets analyst.
Former employee of Merrill Lynch in London and external debt restructuring specialist Milen Velchev, 35, will be Bulgaria's new finance minister.
Simeon has promised to gain entry for the Balkan state to NATO and the European Union and to improve the quality of life within 800 days.
He also said he would beat corruption, quicken reforms, speed up growth, cut taxes and draw more foreign investment.
Crowned king during World War II, he was forced to flee the communists aged nine.
He returned from exile three months ago to form his party, which promised to end poverty, unemployment and other problems that plagued the country after the fall of communism.
The first former East European monarch to return to power, Simeon says he has no plans to restore the monarchy.
His party had unanimously approved his candidacy for prime minister on June 23. Simeon's party holds 120 seats in the 240-seat chamber -- one seat short of a simple majority.
He was crowned the Bulgarian king at the age of six in 1943. A 1946 referendum believed to have been rigged by communists lost him the throne, and Simeon fled to Egypt with his mother.(c)CNN. |
