King voted out
The week's news at a glance.
Sofia, Bulgaria
Much of the Bulgarian press this week called for the prime minister and former king to step down to let a Socialist take his place. Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, deposed by the Communists when he was only 8, was elected prime minister in 2001, when he returned home after decades of exile in Spain. In last week’s elections, though, the center-left Socialist Party narrowly beat his center-right Movement for Simeon II party. Neither party has enough seats to form a government alone, and Bulgarian analysts predict the two will have to form a coalition. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha said he’s willing to do that, but only if he gets to stay prime minister, a condition the newspapers are ridiculing. Kings may rule for life, said Sofia’s Trud, but “in republics, prime ministers come and go.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The marvelous powers of mucus
The Explainer It's snot just a pesky cold symptom
-
What to know about the 'no tax on tips' policy
The Explainer The new bill would make tip income exempt from federal income taxes
-
Dehorning rhinos sharply cuts poaching, study finds
Speed Read The painless procedure may be an effective way to reduce the widespread poaching of rhinoceroses