First breakthrough for Budget with 159 votes in favour; Mahinda missing

By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent

Clinching a major victory in a parliamentary numbers game, the Government won the vote on its maiden budget in its second with thumping 159 votes, with only 52 MPs opposing the 2016 proposals along with a few abstentions.

 A division by name was taken and the budget passed in its second reading by a 107 vote majority. Thirteen MPs were absent during the vote, which was taken at about 5.30pm.

The main opposition Tamil National Alliance voted in favour of the budget while the JVP which holds the opposition whip position, voted against the Government’s maiden budget.

The TNA said in a statement yesterday, that the party’s Parliamentary Group having met yesterday and considered “all circumstances” including its objectives, had decided to vote for the budget in  its second reading.

Absentee MPs included Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa, M.K.D.S. Gunawardena, Geetha Kumarasinghe, Siripala Gamlath, Premalal Jayasekara, Janaka Bandara Thennakoon, Manusha Nanayakkara, Ven. Athuraliye Rathana thero, Lohan Rathwatte, Sivamohan, Sivashakthi Ananthan, Kanaka Herath, and Buddhika Pathirana.

Opposition MPs Arumugam Thondaman, Douglas Devananda, and Lakshman Senevirathne voted in favour of the budget.

The third reading of the budget will commence today (3) and continue until December 19. Th final vote on the budget will be taken on 19 December at the end of the third reading.