Senate passes 26th amendment bill with two-third majority

ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Sunday night passed the 26th constitutional amendment bill with two-third majority – 65 members voting in support. 

The bill needed a two-third majority in the house – 64 members. The chair, who belongs to the PPP, an ally of the PML-N government, did not join the voting. After the passage of the bill clause wise, the chair asked the members opposing and supporting the bill to move to respective lobbies.

When the bill was put for voting clauses wise, 65 members voted in support and four against for the first clause of the bill. However, after this, there was dissenting votes and these were sailed though by 65 votes each. The few members belonging to PTI, Sunni Ittehad Council and MWM left the house.   

Earlier, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar presented the bill in the house and said that the bill had been vetted by a special committee representing all parliamentary parties, and talks were also held with opposition parties. The session of Senate was chaired by its Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani. He said that after long and marathon discussions with the JUI consensus was developed on the content of the bill with some changes to it.  

During voting on the first clause, 65 members voted for the bill with four opposing. However, later the opposition members left the house and there was no vote against and all the 21 remaining clauses were approved without any vote against.

When the session started, there were 47 members on the treasury benches but moments before the start of voting the number in support of the government bill jumped to 65.