Sri Lanka: More opposition MPs crossover in the run up to tomorrow's historic vote on 18 Amendment

In the run up to the historic vote on the Eighteenth Amendment Bill, which is thought to radically change the country’s course, more and more opposition Members of Parliament are seen either crossing over or pledging support for the Bill.

Apparently, the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) seems to have already achieved its target of passing the Bill with at least 168 members voting for it.

UPFA reaches its claim of 160 MPs with the three latest crossovers from UNP
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18th Amendment will lead to dictatorship, opposition groups claim

Government said today that two United National Party (UNP) parliamentarians- Upeksha Sandamali (Gampaha District) and Jeya Sri Ranga (Nuwara Eliya District) had pledged their support for UPFA’s constitutional reforms, while Nilwala Wijesinghe (Kurunegala District) announced just this morning that he would join the government ranks.

Earlier on Friday (September 3), three UNP stalwarts Lakshman Senevirathne (Badulla District), Earl Gunasekera (Pollonnaruwa District) and Manusha Nanayakkara (Galle District) pledged their support for the Bill, severely criticising UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe for being the cause of humiliation by leading the party into seventeen election defeats in a row.

With Abdul Cader (Kandy), Palani Digambaram (Nuwara Eliya) and Praba Ganasen (Colombo) who had crossed over to the government earlier and the eight Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) MPs who pledged their support for the Bill, the total number of UNP MPs who are said to vote for the Bill has already touched 160.

The Coalition of Left Parties (of the government), which earlier insisted that it would only support the abolishing of the executive presidency, yesterday decided to vote in favour of the Bill, though stating that there were some ‘disagreements’.

Parties that belong to the said Coalition are, Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), Communist Party (CP) of Sri Lanka, Democratic Left Front (DLF), Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) and the Desha Vimukthi Janatha Pakshaya (DVJP).

Minister Prof. Tissa Vitharana and Y.G. Padmasiri (Kegalle District) of the LSSP along with Minister Dinesh Gunawardene and Githanjana Gunawardene initially itself declared their support for the Bill reportedly citing ‘collective responsibility’ of the Cabinet of Ministers.

However Minister DEW Gunasekera and Deputy Minister Chandrasiri Gajadeera of Sri Lanka Communist Party (CP) and vociferous leader of the Democratic Left Front (DLF) Vasudewa Nanayakkara (Rathnapura District) who had earlier decided otherwise, consented to vote for the Bill nevertheless, after yesterday’s decision.

Meanwhile the country’s main opposition party- the United National Party (UNP) staged a walkout in protest and also commenced a short-lived satyagraha at Parliamentary premises. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) too conducted a protest blocking the main road leading to Parliament.

The current tally of MPs for and against the Bill is as follows.