Update : 19A passed on third reading

Following the Committee Stage debates which took fours during which several amendments were made to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the voting on the Third Reading of the 19th Amendment took place and was passed. Similar to the vote at the Second Reading, voting took place by calling names. This is a rare occasion in parliament. The vote ended with 212 voting for the 19th Amendment. One MP abstained and one voted against. There were 10 absentees. Following the vote, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said this was a historic moment in parliamentary history. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva stated that the people need electoral reforms as well as reduction of executive powers. Therefore, parliament should also pass the 20th Amendment on electoral reform, he added.     ______________________________________________________ Ampara District  MP Sarath Weerasekara became the first SLFP MP to vote against the 19th Amendment as the vote was being taken in Parliament. Weerasekara, was a former Deputy Minister of Labour and Labour Relations under the Rajapaksa government. During voting Namal, Wimal and Mahindananda votes yes according to tweet posted by MP Harsha De Silva.   See his other posts below