Thursday Jun 04, 2026
Thursday Jun 04, 2026
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President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s administration has enacted more laws during its first 18 months in office than the administration of former President Maithripala Sirisena, despite lagging behind during its first six months, according to an analysis by Verité Research.
The study found that while the Sirisena administration moved more quickly to gazette and pass legislation in its early months, the Dissanayake administration subsequently accelerated its legislative agenda and had enacted 32 laws by the 18-month mark, compared with 20 under the Sirisena administration.
The think tank said: “There have been two major instances in the last 11 years when Sri Lankan voters appeared to reject incumbency, in favour of radical reform, on a platform of anti-corruption and better governance. The first was the election of President Maithripala Sirisena (MS) on 8 January 2015. The second was the election of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) on 21 September 2024.
Comparing legislative activity during the first 18 months of these two administrations, using the number of Bills gazetted, tabled, and enacted into law, Verité Research said it finds a clear difference in the pattern of legislative activity across the two periods.
Verité said: “At the six-month mark, the MS Presidency had recorded more Bills gazetted and more laws enacted. By the 18-month mark, however, the AKD Presidency had nearly matched the MS Presidency in the number of Bills gazetted and had overtaken it in the number of laws enacted.
“During this approximately 18-month period, Parliament met for 126 and 136 days, respectively, for the MS and AKD Presidencies. During both comparable periods, Parliament passed an interim Budget and a full-year Budget.
“At the six-month mark, the MS Presidency led in legislative activity. The MS Presidency had gazetted three times the number of Bills in comparison to the AKD period, and had twice as many passed. However, at the nine-month mark, the AKD Presidency overtook in terms of Bills that were passed.
“By the 18-month mark, the score had changed. The AKD Presidency had passed 12 more Bills than the MS Presidency.
“However, the MS Presidency always led in terms of Bills gazetted. At 18 months, it had gazetted four more Bills than the AKD Presidency.
“This shows that, at the 18-month mark, despite the MS Presidency still recording a slightly higher number of Bills gazetted, the AKD Presidency converted a much larger share of its gazetted Bills into law.
“The period considered for the MS Presidency is 20 January 2015 to 8 July 2016, while for the AKD Presidency it is 21 November 2024 to 5 March 2026. The number of Bills and acts reported by Verité Research are based on information published in the official website of the Sri Lanka Parliament and Department of Government Printers as of 5 March 2026.
“In the count of Bills gazetted, Verité Research excluded incorporation Bills, as these are only used to grant legal status to organisations, associations, or institutions. Of the remaining legislation relating to public matters, we count only those that were passed after being gazetted following the Presidential Elections, and not those gazetted prior to it.”
