Around 150 Cabinet decisions aligned with NPP manifesto, PAFFREL says

Around 150 Cabinet decisions taken during the first half of 2026 were directly or indirectly aligned with commitments in the National People’s Power government’s election manifesto, according to PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi.

PAFFREL and the March 12 Movement recently released their third biannual report monitoring the implementation of the government’s manifesto, A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life. The latest assessment covers January to June 2026.

Hettiarachchi said the monitoring exercise examined 381 Cabinet decisions announced during the six-month period and assessed the extent to which they corresponded with promises made in the manifesto.

He said about 150 decisions could broadly be regarded as directly or indirectly aligned with the manifesto, describing this as a positive indication.

However, he stressed that not every Cabinet decision should be expected to relate to an election manifesto, as governments also have to respond to unforeseen developments, natural disasters and routine administrative requirements.

PAFFREL’s assessment was based on Cabinet decisions officially released to the media. Hettiarachchi said the organisation could not determine whether other decisions had been taken but not publicly disclosed.

He said the number of Cabinet decisions alone should not be used to judge the government’s commitment to its manifesto. What mattered was whether the decisions taken advanced the policies and objectives promised to voters.

The monitoring exercise also identified gaps between some manifesto commitments and the legislation or policy measures subsequently introduced, he said.

Hettiarachchi said the government had made the NPP manifesto part of its official policy framework and established internal mechanisms to monitor implementation, although questions remained over the effectiveness of those mechanisms.

He also raised concerns over access to government information, saying PAFFREL was able to obtain information from only 15 of the 25 ministries for its latest assessment. In some cases, only first-quarter reports were available.

PAFFREL and the March 12 Movement launched the monitoring initiative to independently track whether government actions remain consistent with commitments made in the NPP manifesto.