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Simeon II (born June 16, 1937) was the last Tsar of Bulgaria from 1943 to 1946, and is the current Prime Minister of Bulgaria. He now uses the name Simeon Borisov Sakskoburggotski (Симеон Сакскобургготски) but is often known outside Bulgaria as Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, which is the standard English form of his family name. He is the only monarch in history to regain political power through democratic election to a different office (see Norodom Sihanouk for the nearest similar history).
Simeon II, Tsar of Bulgaria, 1944
Simeon was baptized with water taken from the River Jordan and flown to Bulgaria by an air force major. He became Tsar on August 28 1943 upon the sudden death of his father, Tsar Boris III. Since he was still a minor, his uncle, Prince Kyril of Bulgaria was appointed regent. In 1944, Kyril and most of the senior members of his government were killed in a SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR ( Russian: ; tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik (SSSR) also called the Soviet Union ( ; tr. Sovetsky Soyuz , was a state in much of the northern region of Eurasia that existed from 1922 until 1-backed coupA coup d'etat ( IPA: /ku deit/), often simply called a coup is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. It is different from a revolution, which is staged by a larger group and radically, but Simeon was allowed to stay on the throne. A 1946 referendum voted to abolish the monarchy, but the royal family chose to flee the country rather than have Simeon abdicateAbdication (from the Latin abdicatio disowning, renouncing, from ab from, and dicare to declare, to proclaim as not belonging to one), the act whereby a person in office renounces and gives up the same before the expiry of the time for which it is held..
They initially fled to EgyptJumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah ( In Detail) Official language Arabic Capital Cairo Largest City Cairo President Hosni Mubarak Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif Area Total % water Ranked 29th 1,001,450 kmē 0. 6% Population Total (2003) Density Ranked 15th 74,718,797, before settling in Madrid. In Spain, Simeon studied law and business administration, and went on to become a successful businessman.
In 2001 Simeon returned to Bulgaria, and was elected leader of the newly-formed National Movement for Simeon II. In elections held later that year, the NMS won 119 out of 240 seats in Parliament. On July 24, 2001, Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha was sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria. He has remained coy on whether he believes Bulgaria should restore the monarchy, saying it is a matter for "the people" to decide. As he never formally abdicated he retains the claim to his royal title and has not renounced it.