Yellowknife (Feb 21/03) - North Slave Metis Alliance elections likely won't be held until April, according to acting president Bob Turner.

The elections were scheduled to take place this week but the alliance board postponed them until results of an internal audit are available.

A petition has been circulated by some alliance members demanding that elections be held as they were originally scheduled this month, but Turner said they won't take place until after the audit.

"I expect the audit to be completed by the end of this month," said Turner. "Then board will have to come up with recommendations and get them distributed to all the members."

Turner also said the board must provide 45 days notice for an election.

"I'm guessing the earliest that we'll get to them is sometime in April," he said.

The audit was undertaken after former president Clem Paul was removed in December amid allegations of misuse of funds.

Paul has denied the allegations and said he will run in the upcoming elections.