🔓 Breaking News · 15 August 2026
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Labour Minister Signs Off on Permanent Rule Change
No Pre-Registration Needed for SSO Board Election
Labour Minister Julapun Amornvivat has signed off in principle on amending the SSO board election regulation, permanently removing the pre-registration requirement that had been a legal dispute for over a month.
⚠️ Source note and fact-check disclosure
This article is compiled from a post on the Pheu Thai Party's official Facebook page, published 15 August 2026 — view the original post here → the party Julapun Amornvivat belongs to. As of publication, no independent mainstream Thai media outlet (Thai Rath, Khaosod, Thai PBS, Matichon) had confirmed this further, and the Social Security Office has not yet published the formal amended regulation text. Please follow further official sources for confirmation.
📢 Key points from the signing
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Signed 14 August 2026
The Labour Minister approved in principle an amendment to the Ministry of Labour regulation governing the rules and procedures for electing employer and insured-worker representatives to the Social Security Committee, per SSO's proposal that had already passed the Election Committee's resolution.
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Removes conditions from the original 2021 regulation
Eligible insured persons and employers can vote directly, without a pre-registration step, following the legal dispute and Central Administrative Court proceedings.
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Still only an "approval in principle"
SSO has been tasked with urgently drafting the formal amended regulation, while preparing all aspects of the election process.
⚠️ What hasn't changed yet: This is a ministerial approval in principle, not a formally enacted amended regulation. The actual regulation text is still being drafted by SSO. Eligible voters should closely follow official announcements from SSO (sso.go.th) ahead of the 27 September 2026 election.
🗓️ Why this matters
Previously, the "must pre-register" condition had only been suspended temporarily through a Central Administrative Court interim order (7 August 2026) — a status that could still change depending on the court's ongoing proceedings. The minister's direct sign-off on amending the "regulation" itself marks the next step toward making this removal a permanent administrative rule, no longer tied to the outcome of the court case — though it still awaits SSO's drafting and publication of the formal amended regulation before taking full legal effect.
📋 Full timeline — from court order to regulation change
24 Jul 2026
Central Administrative Court temporarily suspends the pre-registration requirement, from Seri Nuwong's case
7 Aug 2026
Central Administrative Court orders a halt to election postponement + bans mandatory pre-registration
9 Aug 2026
SSO confirms the election proceeds as scheduled + removes the pre-registration requirement per the court order
11 Aug 2026
Central Administrative Court's final judgment — Progressive Social Security team wins the case
14-15 Aug 2026
Labour Minister signs off on formally amending the regulation, making the removal permanent (this article) — SSO now drafting the complete regulation
Source: Compiled from a post on the Pheu Thai Party's official Facebook page, published 15 August 2026 — the party Labour Minister Julapun Amornvivat belongs to. As of publication, no independent mainstream media outlet had confirmed this further, and the Social Security Office had not yet published the formal amended regulation. This article will be updated as soon as further confirmation or details become available from official sources.
