Elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo cannot be held until at least April 2019, the Electoral commission has said.

But in a statement, the commission said it would need at least 504 days to organise the poll once voter registration was completed. This flies in the face of an agreement between President Joseph Kabila and the opposition – mediated by the Catholic Church – for elections to take place before the end of the year.

Elections were originally scheduled for November 2016 – and cancelled by the electoral commission citing logistical and financial difficulties. This meant that President Joseph Kabila stayed on beyond his legal mandate.

Dozens of people died in protests.

According to the Reuters news agency, unrest in the Kasai region has delayed the registration process.