RIGA, May 28 (LETA) - The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development will propose moving local elections in the regions of Madona and Rezekne from June 5 to September 11, LETA was told at the ministry. 

The ministry has drafted amendments to the Law On Administrative Territories and Populated Areas to merge the Varaklani Region with the Madona Region and not the Rezekne Region as was earlier planned. 

The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development is also drafting a bill on local elections in the Madona Region and the Rezekne Region. 

Under the draft legislation, the current councils will carry on with their work in these regions until July 1, and interim administrations appointed by the Saeima will take over on July 1 to run the regions until October 1. 

July 1 is the date when Latvia's administrative territorial reform comes into effect and newly elected councils start work in the newly created municipalities. The mandate of the current councils will expire on that day, which is why the interim administrations are needed to ensure the local authorities' work until the new councils are elected in Madona and Varaklani. 

As reported, while hearing one of the lawsuits lodged over Latvia's administrative territorial reform, the Constitutional Court has ruled the merge of the Varaklani Region with the Rezekne Region unconstitutional, LETA was told at the court.

Meanwhile, the court found the merger of the Sigulda Region, the Garkalne municipality and Vangazi with the Ropazi Region to be in line with the Latvian Constitution.

Sanita Osipova, Chief Judge of the Constitutional Court and her deputy Aldis Lavins are due to inform about the court's judgment at a news conference today.

Varaklani Region Council argued that the region's merger with the Rezekne Region infringed on right of Varaklani which was included in the Rezekne Region without properly considering the option to merge it with the Madona Region.

The court agreed that by ignoring the wishes and interests of Vakarlani residents the legislator took an arbitrary decision.

Commenting on the Constitutional Court's ruling, Vakarklani Region Mayor Maris Justs (United for the Region) said that the verdict was an indication that some "remnants of democracy" still exist in Latvia.

As reported, residents of the Varaklani Region had called on the Saeima to merge Varaklani with the Madona Region. Local resident Viktors Vilkauss cited a survey in which 84 percent of respondents had expressed the wish to join the Madona Region, with which Varaklani has had close administrative, economic and cultural ties for more than 60 years.