MP Thanaporn urges the Minister of Labor to extend the registration period for the Social Security Board election, noting current registrations have not reached 800,000 and criticizes the system as failing.
On 9 July 2026, during a session of the House of Representatives, Ms. Thanaporn Wichan, a party-list MP from the People’s Party representing the labor network, raised a general query to the Minister of Labor regarding delays in organizing the Social Security Board election and clarity on using the previous election regulations. However, the minister was occupied and requested to postpone the response. Nevertheless, Ms. Thanaporn took the opportunity to urgently discuss the importance of this matter.
Ms. Thanaporn stated that currently there are about 11 to 12 million insured persons under Section 33, but only about 800,000 have registered to vote in the Social Security Board election. With just a few days left before registration closes on 15 July, it is critical that the Minister of Labor decide whether to extend the registration period. If the minister cannot respond, he should assign another minister to provide clarification for the insured.
Additionally, the People’s Party MP criticized the delay in organizing the election, pointing out that the current Social Security Board’s term ended on 13 February 2026, yet the new election date was set for 27 September 2026, a delay of nearly 210 days. The board’s term is only two years, and this delay, known in advance, should not have occurred. She compared this to the general election after parliament dissolution, which took only 45 days.
“In the first Social Security Board election in 2023, 900,000 people registered but only 100,000 actually voted. Has the Social Security Office reviewed why turnout was so low? Issues include the complicated SSO Plus application, which claims 5 million users, yet less than 800,000 registered to vote. So, is the system truly effective?” Ms. Thanaporn questioned.
Ms. Thanaporn also expressed concern about the election day on Sunday, 27 September 2026, as many factories and private companies will not close, and many employees will still have work shifts that day. She called on the Ministry of Labor to urgently establish facilitation measures and coordinate with employers to allow employees to vote without wage deductions or negative impact.
Finally, Ms. Thanaporn demanded clarity from the Minister of Labor on two main points: 1) consideration of extending the registration period and 2) facilitation measures on election day. She also urged employers and insured persons who have yet to register to do so within the remaining six days to preserve their right to elect representatives to manage the Social Security Fund transparently. She emphasized that the Social Security Office must actively promote the election rather than leaving it solely to the private sector and labor networks.