The motion of no confidence brought against Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena will be debated in Parliament on the 19th and 20th of March, following which a vote will be taken.

According to the General Secretary of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Ranjith Madduma Bandara, the decision was taken at today’s meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business, which was chaired by the Speaker.

As such, a vote on the no-confidence motion will be taken at 04:30 p.m. on 20 March (Wednesday).

The no-confidence motion against Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena was handed over to the Deputy General Secretary of Parliament on 05 March.

It was signed by 44 parliamentarians including Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella and MPs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Rohini Kumari Wijeratne, Hesha Vithanage, Mano Ganesan, Rishad Bathiudeen, M.A. Sumanthiran, S.M. Marikkar, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Thalatha Atukorale, Vijitha Herath and Chandima Weerakkody.

The no-confidence motion alleges that the Speaker had ignored the Supreme Court’s recommendations pertaining to Sections 13, 17, 20, 33 (6), 34 (1), 35 (1), 21, 22 and 33 of the Online Safety Bill.

Abeywardena is also accused of allowing the third Reading of the Online Safety Bill to be passed without a vote and disregarding the Chief Opposition Whip’s call for a division at the Committee Stage.

Further, the opposition MPs claim that the Speaker had ‘unconstitutionally and unlawfully’ used his decisive vote to affirm the appointment of IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon when the other members of the Constitutional Council were divided on a tie on the matter. It was reported that four members had voted in favour of the appointment while 2 voted against and 2 others abstained. However, considering the 2 abstentions as votes cast against, the Speaker had used his vote as the deciding vote to go ahead with the appointment, they allege.