P’ment to debate no-confidence motion against PM on 4 April

By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent

Party leaders met yesterday in Parliament and reached an agreement to take up the no-confidence motion against UNP Leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on 4 April for a full day’s debate. Providing the necessary time arrangements for the debate, the Parliament is expected to reduce the day’s schedule, including the questions for oral answers and motions.

The no-confidence motion presented to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on 21 March by a group of UPFA Joint Opposition lawmakers led by former President, UPFA MP Mahinda Rajapaksa, had 55 signatures including those of State Minister of Lands T.B. Ekanayake, Deputy Minister of Public Administration and Management Susantha Punchinilame, Deputy Minister of Ports and Shipping Affairs Nishantha Muthuhettigamage and MP Kader Masthan, charging the PM on 14 accounts.

According to the records maintained in the parliament library, Wickremesinghe will be the third Prime Minister in parliamentary history to face a no-confidence motion. The earlier no-confidence motions were against late Prime Ministers S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and Sirimavo R.D. Bandaranaike in 1957 and 1975 respectively. 

The motion against S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike received only one ‘Yes’ vote and 45 ‘No’ votes, while the motion against Ms. Bandaranaike received 43 ‘Yes’ votes and 100 ‘No’ votes. The no-confidence motion raised against the Prime Minister Wickeremesinghe will be the 47th no-faith vote in parliamentary history. There have been 23 no-confidence motions against governments, 13 against ministers, six against Speakers and Deputy Speakers, one against an opposition leader and another one against a Chief Justice.