RIGA, Oct 28 (LETA) - Ventspils municipality lawmakers on Thursday decided not to support Saeima's plan to merge Ventspils municipality with Ventspils city.

The local lawmakers decided that the idea on the merger does not meet the good legislative practice in a civic and democratic society and interests of residents of Ventspils municipality.

The local lawmakers supported the proposal that Ventspils municipality as an independent derived public entity maintains the status of a municipality and a territory with a development center and the administrative units, such as Piltene town, Ance, Jurkalne, Piltene, Pope, Puze, Targale, Ugale, Usma, Uzava, Varve, Ziri and Zlekas counties.

The local council will send its decision to the Saeima committee on the administrative territorial reform, the Latvian Association of Local Governments, Ventspils state city and all Saeima lamwakers and groups of lawmakers.

As reported, On October 21, the Saeima in principle supported amendments, providing for a merger of the state cities Daugavpils, Jelgava, Liepaja, Rezekne and Ventspils with the adjoining municipalities by 2025.