The head of Congo's electoral commission has said it would not be possible to hold the country's first democratic polls in 40 years until next year.
Originally planned for this month, the elections are a key part of a 2003 deal to end a five-year war in Democratic Republic of Congo and there are fears a lengthy delay may spark unrest.
In a report, the electoral commission said the first round of presidential elections should be held on March 21, 2006 with an eventual run-off vote on April 30 and results on May 16.
Presenting the planned timetable to parliamentarians, electoral commission head Father Apollinaire Malu Malu asked for a transition government formed after the peace deal to be extended so the polls could be organised properly.
Under the terms of the 2003 deal, the transition government can be extended beyond June 30 twice, by six months each time.
"While we are asking for an extension of the transition, we must say that the electoral commission will not be able to organise elections within the first six months," Malu Malu said.
When a delay to the polls was first mooted in January, riots erupted in the capital Kinshasa among people weary of war and suspicious of politicians who many believe are dragging their heels on the vote to protect their own interests.
Congo's parliament will now debate the planned election timetable and whether to extend the transition government.