The United National Party (UNP) has challenged the accuracy of a recent think-tank report comparing the number of laws passed during the first 18 months of the administrations of former President Maithripala Sirisena and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the UNP argued that the report focused on the quantity of legislation rather than its impact and significance. The party highlighted several laws enacted during the Sirisena administration’s first 18 months, including the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the Right to Information Act, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act, and the National Minimum Wage of Workers Act.

The UNP said these measures strengthened democratic governance, improved transparency, protected workers’ rights, and enhanced public access to information and healthcare regulation.

The party further claimed that the Dissanayake administration had failed to introduce similarly impactful legislation despite campaigning on a platform of systemic change. It said that, apart from legislation removing certain entitlements of former presidents and parliamentarians, the government had not delivered significant reforms.

The UNP also pointed to the legislative record of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, noting that 75 laws were passed during his 26-month tenure, including the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, the Economic Transformation Act and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act.

The party accused the government of stagnating since assuming office and alleged that reports focusing on the number of laws passed were being used to portray a misleading picture of its performance.