RIGA, Nov 25 (LETA) - The Saeima on Thursday passed in the second reading draft amendments to the Law on Administrative Territories and Populated Areas to postpone the plan to merge five Latvia's cities - Daugavpils, Jelgava, Liepaja, Rezekne and Ventspils - with adjacent municipalities in 2025 to 2029.

The draft amendments have yet to pass in the third and final reading in parliament. 

According to the original amendments drafted by the Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry, the merger was supposed to take place by Latvia's next local elections, slated for 2025, but coalition lawmakers Janis Dombrava (National Alliance), Juris Puce (Development/For) and Arvils Aseradens (New Unity) are now proposing to wait with the mergers for another election cycle and implement the plan in 2029.

The Constitution Court this year invalidated several decisions taken by the Saeima to create new municipalities as part of the ATR, indicating that the lawmakers had not ensured each region had its development center, an essential prerequisite for a municipality's successful development.

To correct these flaws in the reform, a bill is now being proposes to promote cooperation between Daugavpils City and Augsdaugava Region, Jelgava City and Jelgava Region, Liepaja City and Dienvidkurzeme Region, Rezekne City and Rezekne Region and Ventspils City and Ventspils Region.

The plan is to foster and expand cooperation between the cities and their adjacent regions until 2029.

Earlier, Monvids Svarcs (New Unity, For!, Latgale Party), chairman of the Rezekne regional council, described the proposed amendments as a compromise solution favorable to the local governments as they would give them time for an assessment and analysis.