Parliament begins voting for the new President. This morning at 10:00am the Parliament commenced voting to choose a new President.
The empty ballot box was displayed to the Members and sealed by the Secretary-General of Parliament, Dhammika Dasanayake, who serves as the Returning Officer during the election.
Based on the division list, the names of each MP, including the Speaker and Secretary-General, are called as the voting is taking place.
The first vote was cast by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, who was followed by Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The MPs have been instructed not to use their cellphones inside the chamber while voting is taking place.
The Presidential Elections (Special Provisions) Act No. 2 of 1981 provided guidelines for the election, which were read out by the Secretary-General of Parliament before to the start of the secret ballot.
