site.btaUPDATED PM: "I Am Not Looking for War with Anybody, Government Needs Calm to Work on Its Programme"

Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said that he does not seek conflicts with anybody or with other institutions, and that his government needs calm to work on its programme. "I am not looking for a war with anyone. Quite the contrary: we need calm -the government does, in the political sense of the word, so that we can implement our programme and people can start living better," Denkov said apparently referring to a fresh clash with the President over the weekend.

"Every institution must work in keeping with its rights and duties. The government's duty is to implement the government programme," he said. 

The Prime Minister was speaking to the press Monday during a visit to the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology with the Sofia University (INSAIT).  

"You see how many problems there are in the country. Some people get in the way without really discussing what can be done on the roads, how to reduce the incidence of drunk and rugged driving. This is the kind of problems that the government needs to address," Denkov said.

His remark comes on the backdrop of a deadly road accident in which a drunken driver killed a 15-year-old on a pedestrian crossing in central Sofia. The case re-ignited a public rage against the lack of safety on the roads.

Asked whether he was for or against a referendum to change the national day to May 24, the Day of Slav Letters, from March 3, which is now celebrated as the day of liberation from Ottoman rule, the prime minister said that he is in favour of the change but that is for Parliament to decide. "Let's have a political discussion in the National Assembly. That is the place for this discussion. I have repeatedly said that I support making May 24 the national day because it is the symbol that leads us to the future."