Viral List of NPP Cabinet Ministers is False

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Some of the misleading posts that went viral in the lead-up to the presidential elections, particularly targeting the National People’s Power (NPP), have once again emerged after the victory of NPP presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Social Media Posts

A list circulating on social media went viral among users soon after the realization that Anura Kumara Dissanayake had emerged victorious at the presidential election and claimed that the National People’s Power (NPP) had already nominated its cabinet of ministers, as seen below.

Responding to these claims, the NPP has clarified that the Election Commission has gazetted Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi to fill the vacancy created in parliament following the election of Anura Kumara Dissanayake as the 9th executive president of Sri Lanka. As a result, the NPP will have 3 MPs plus the newly appointed president, among whom the Cabinet Ministries will be distributed, and the claims of the above list are baseless.

The same list went viral in the lead-up to the presidential election, as seen from the Facebook posts below from August 2024, and we did a fact check then.

FB | Archived

With the presidential election scheduled for September 21, 2024, where Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of the National People’s Power (NPP), is contesting, a list of supposed cabinet ministers is being shared widely on social media. The list claims to be the official nominations by the NPP in preparation for forming a government.

Fact Check

Investigation

To verify this claim, we reached out to the NPP media unit. They confirmed that the viral list is false and clarified that no decisions have been made regarding the appointment of cabinet ministers. They also highlighted a critical point: even if Anura Kumara Dissanayake wins the presidential election, the NPP cannot appoint cabinet ministers immediately because they currently hold only three seats in Parliament. The appointment of ministers can only happen after a parliamentary election, which is expected to be held after a few months, and only if the NPP wins a majority.

The NPP media unit also stated that if their party comes into power, they have committed to appointing only 25 cabinet ministers. However, no decisions have been made about who these ministers will be.

Verification of the NPP Manifesto

We further investigated by reviewing the NPP’s election manifesto. On page 194, the manifesto clearly states that the NPP government will limit the number of cabinet ministers to 25, with an equal number of deputy ministers. The manifesto also specifies that there will be no state ministers in their government.

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Conclusion

The claims circulating on social media regarding the NPP’s nomination of a cabinet of ministers are false. The NPP has not made any such nominations, and the list being shared is not official. Any official decisions regarding cabinet appointments will only be made after the parliamentary elections if the NPP secures a majority. The NPP’s manifesto further clarifies their intent to have a streamlined cabinet, contrary to the false claims circulating online.