Afghanistan's first ever parliamentary elections in over four decades will not be held on time as per schedule, a UN spokesman said here Thursday.

As per earlier timetable, the post-Taliban legislative electionwas set to take place in the Afghan month of Saur, which covers 30days between April and May ending on May 20.

"Election cannot take place in the month of Saur. It is not possible in the month of Saur because among other things the election law requires that the date needs to be announced at least90 days before election and we do not have 90 days to announce in the month of Saur," Manoel de Almeida e Silva told journalists here at a news briefing.

"The Joint Electoral Management Body will announce a new date once they feel they have all the necessary elements that enable them to reach on the most appropriate date to hold election," he noted.

No officials at the election commission were immediately available for comment on possible setting of a new date for the elections. However, the Hamid Karzai-headed central government hasstressed that the elections should be held as soon as possible.

It is the third time that the parliamentary elections in the post-conflict Central Asian country have been put off because of acouple of reasons including the Taliban-related militancy and technical problems.

Remnants of the Taliban whose regime was ousted by a US-led invasion in late 2001 have vowed to derail the upcoming parliamentary elections by all means.

Source: Xinhua