Budget 2024 passed in Parliament

The Third Reading of Appropriation Bill 2024 (Budget 2024) was passed in Parliament a short while ago by a majority of 41 votes. 

A total of 122 MPs voted for the Bill while 81 voted against it. There was one abstention. Twenty-one MPs were not present in the Chamber when the vote was taken. 

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) voted for the Appropriation Bill 2024 while the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), National People's Power (NPP) and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) voted against it. 

On the government side, former Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe, who was recently sacked from his post by the President, voted against the Budget while Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MPs Vadivel Suresh and A.H.M. Fowzie voted with the government in support of Budget 2024. Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MP Duminda Dissanayake too voted for the Budget. 

Thamil Makkal Thesiya Kuttani (TMTK) Leader C.V. Wigneswaran abstained from voting. 

State Minister Diana Gamage along with SJB MPs Sujith Sanjaya Perera and Rohana Bandara, who were suspended for a month from attending Parliament sessions over a clash that occurred in Parliament's Lobby on October 20, were allowed to come into the Chamber at voting time to vote. They were escorted into the Chamber by Parliament's Serjeant-at-Arms and officials from his Department. 

Today was the final day of the Committee Stage debate of the Budget and the expenditure head of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies was taken up for debate today. 

The Committee Stage debate of Budget 2024 lasted 19 days and was held from November 22 until today. Earlier, the debate on the Second Reading of the Budget was held for seven days from November 14 to 21. 

President Ranil Wickremesinghe delivered his Budget Speech to Parliament on November 13. 

Parliament will convene for its first session of the New Year on January 9, 2024