The Government is expected to secure a comfortable victory in tomorrow’s final vote on the Budget despite uncertainty over support from two of its allies, the CWC and the UPF.
A spokesman for the Up-Country People’s Front led by Minister P. Chandrasekeran said his party’s decision to support the Budget would depend on a Government assurance on a pay hike for estate workers. “It is likely that we will abstain from voting if there is no assurance,” the spokesman said, adding that the party’s decision would be conveyed to the government ahead of tomorrow’s vote.
A CWC official also said that his party also held a similar view.
The CWC and the UPF have ten members in the 225-member legislature. Government sources said the Budget would be passed even if these two parties decided to keep away as they had the support of 12 MPs of Wimal Weerawansa’s National Freedom Front.
The UNP, the JVP and the TNA have also decided to vote against the Budget while the SLMC General Secretary Hassan Ali said the party would take a decision tomorrow. | 
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