Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on Friday vowed to prioritize stability and the rule of law to create conditions for elections.
Chairing the first cabinet meeting of 2025 in Naypyitaw, Min Aung Hlaing also said that the country’s population has declined to just over 51 million according to a recent census, and blamed declining birthrates, mass emigration, and deaths from various causes.
He warned that the population decline has resulted in labor shortages and could impact the planned elections.
Although the putsch leader frequently pledges that elections will be held this year in phases in areas where security allows, he has not yet announced any dates.
Junta-controlled territory is shrinking as revolutionary groups including the Arakan Army (AA), the Karen National Union (KNU), and the Chinland Defense Force (CDF) continue to seize territory. Fighting has now spilled over into the Bamar heartland’s Ayeyarwady Region.
The regime keeps conducting intense airstrikes against areas controlled by revolutionary forces, but to little avail.
The junta’s preliminary census report, released at the end of last year, admits that it was only able to conduct a full headcount in 145 out of 330 townships across Myanmar.
One reason for mass emigration has been the junta’s Conscription Law, which has forced many young people to flee the country.
According to the regime’s 2022 census, Myanmar’s population was 55.8 million, suggesting a decline of nearly 4 million people in just over two years.
Many civilians have also been killed in fighting between the junta and revolutionary forces as well as airstrikes and artillery fire from the regime.
In other announcements at the cabinet meeting, Min Aung Hlaing claimed that the country is implementing solar energy projects and encouraged businesses to do the same, promising to provide the necessary capital.
Amid widespread blackouts that last for most of the day, the cost of solar energy systems is currently beyond the reach of most people.