Riga, Nov 19 (LETA) - The factions of New Unity and the Union of Greens and Farmers will not support the draft decision submitted by the opposition Saeima members on a motion of no confidence in Transport Minister Atis Svinka (Progressives).

This was confirmed to LETA by Edmunds Jurevics, head of the New Unity Saeima faction, and Harijs Rokpelnis, head of the Greens/Farmers Saeima faction.

The lawmakers will vote the draft decision on no confidence in the minister at the Saeima session on Thursday, November 20.

The draft decision on the vote of no confidence in the minister was proposed by the opposition lawmakers.

46 opposition MPs voted in favor of the request for the no- confidence vote in the transport minister, including Skaidrite Abrama, once elected from the Progressives' list, but the coalition managed to collect only 43 votes against. Olegs Burovs, who usually votes with the coalition, chose not to vote this time.

Latvia First MPs had asked Transport Minister Svinka to explain and justify the decisions to significantly reduce public transport services, in particular regional buses. The MPs expressed concern that these decisions could have serious consequences for the regions, especially in rural areas where public transport is essential for the mobility of the population.

The MPs stressed that the planned reduction of 16 percent, or more than 11 million kilometers, could have a significant impact on passengers, especially vulnerable groups. The MPs accuse the Transport Ministry of inactivity, ignoring the recommendations of the Finance Ministry and the Procurement Supervision Bureau on possible amendments to the contracts.