BULGARIA: Bulgaria's prime minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg is finally turning his list of achievements into voter support.
Recent opinion polls show that Europe's first royal to be elected to government has clawed his way back to earn himself a fighting chance to hold on to power in summer elections.
Written off as an oddity with no long-term political future as late as last year, Mr Saxe-Coburg (67) has risen steadily in popularity in recent months, and his reformist party could return to power.
The main achievements of the government of the former king have included lower unemployment, robust economic growth and joining Nato. Yesterday the NBMD polling agency showed Mr Saxe-Coburg's National Movement for Simeon II (NMS) at 14 per cent, well up from its nadir of 6 per cent in December 2003 but still well behind the opposition socialists (BSP) with 25 per cent.