NAYPYITAW: Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing vowed to focus on stability and the rule of law as prerequisites for holding elections during the first cabinet meeting of 2025.

He highlighted a population decline to just over 51 million, attributing it to low birth rates, mass emigration, and deaths from various causes. The decline, he warned, has resulted in labor shortages, potentially impacting the planned elections.

While Min Aung Hlaing has repeatedly stated that elections will occur in phases where security permits, no dates have been announced.

The junta faces diminishing control as revolutionary groups, including the Arakan Army (AA), Karen National Union (KNU), and Chinland Defense Force (CDF), seize more territory. Clashes have now extended into the Ayeyarwady Region, the Bamar heartland. Despite intensified airstrikes, the regime has struggled to regain ground.

A preliminary census report reveals the junta conducted a full headcount in only 145 of Myanmar’s 330 townships. Mass emigration, driven in part by the junta’s Conscription Law, has exacerbated the population decline. The population has dropped by nearly 4 million since the regime’s 2022 census reported 55.8 million people.

At the meeting, Min Aung Hlaing also promoted solar energy projects, encouraging businesses to invest with promised financial support. However, widespread power outages and the high cost of solar systems remain significant obstacles for the public.