Following the Committee Stage debates on further amendments to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the voting on the Third Reading of the 19th Amendment took place a short while ago.

Similar to the vote on the Second Reading, voting took place by calling names. This is a rare occasion in parliament.

A simple majority is sufficient for the approval of the vote.

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.