Saxe-Coburg Won't Run for Bulgaria President, Sorry Borisov - Pollster

Poor health-care system, low pensions and failure to live up to his promise to uproot corruption made voters punish Simeon Saxe-Coburg in 2005. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Bulgaria's former tsar and prime minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg will not run for president even though his party members and the the current head of government, who owe him big time, are trying to talk him into this, according to analysts.

"It was really interesting to hear Boyko Borisov saying that the best president would be the king (Simeon Saxe-Coburg). This statement was important and most likely it would have been very convenient for the ruling party to support a candidate like Simeon. But of course he will not run and this is not on his agenda at all," professor Petar-Emil Mitev, a pollster, said in an interview for BGNES agency.

"GERB need to find a candidate, who will make things less painful for them in case of defeat at the presidential elections," said Mitev, referring to the ruling party.

He forecast that the party of Boyko Borisov is likely to support a public, rather than a purely partisan figure.

Simeon Saxe-Coburg will go down in history as fairly successful prime minister of Bulgaria (2001-2005), though largely because of a number of happy events, whose culmination coincided with his term in office.

Bulgaria joined NATO and moved into the final section of the road towards EU accession after putting in years of efforts. The economy turned around thanks to an unprecedented property boom and the country's anticipated entry into the common market.

Even though these were booming years for Bulgaria, the voters punished his government during the elections in 2005.

Poor health-care system, low pensions and failure to live up to his promise to uproot corruption, combined with a few controversial deals and his legal battles to regain what is widely perceived as state-owned property give the answer to the question why this happened.

Lack of clear direction is the word that describes best today's center-right government of Simeon Saxe-Coburg's former bodyguard and current Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, analysts say.

People largely blame the disoriented cabinet for the delay in Bulgaria's Schengen accession, failure to cope with crime and corruption, rising prices and falling investments.

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