During a visit to Yangon, the country’s former capital and largest city, on Monday, junta deputy leader General Soe Win “stressed the importance of preparations for the enumeration of population and households across the nation from October 1-15, 2024,” the Global New Light of Myanmar reported. The military seized power in 2021, justifying the coup with allegations of mass fraud in the 2020 election, which was won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy in a landslide. Army officials have said a census is needed before a new election can be held, which the junta has promised could take place as early as 2023, according to leaders of military-backed political parties. In October, the junta conducted a census test run in townships in several cities, including the capital, Naypyidaw, and Mandalay, the country’s second-biggest city. In Yangon, local authorities briefed Soe Win on “the progress of preparations for collecting data for the census,” the newspaper reported, without providing further details. Critics say the census will be used to tighten surveillance of opponents of the junta, including tens of thousands of civil servants, medics and teachers who have refused to return to work since the coup. The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since the military seized power in 2021, with daily clashes between the army and anti-coup fighters, sporadic urban guerrilla attacks and assassinations. The military has acknowledged that large areas of the country are outside its control and in February it reactivated a colonial-era law allowing it to conscript civilians. Analysts say any election held by the junta is likely to be boycotted by its opponents and could trigger further bloodshed. The United States has called any election held by the junta a “sham.” Russia, a close ally of the junta which has been isolated internationally, has said it supports the plan. Read Also: Hundreds join Myanmar military in second round of recruitment (in Portuguese)