Niger has rejected a call to postpone a parliamentary election due on Tuesday, amid continuing controversy over the president's attempts to stay in power.
Communications Minister Kassoum Moctar insisted the election would be held, dismissing a plea from West African group Ecowas for a postponement.
The opposition is boycotting the poll after President Mamadou Tandja changed the constitution earlier this year.
Mr Tandja dismissed the former parliament, which opposed his plans.
In August, the 71-year-old president enraged his critics by holding a referendum to approve his plan to extend his term in office.
The plan was approved by a landslide, amid an opposition boycott and international condemnation.
Opposition groups say Mr Tandja wants to hold on to power for life, and has scheduled the election to give his rule a veneer of legitimacy.
One opposition leader, Mahamadou Karijo, told the BBC's Network Africa programme that no-one should be bigger than the country.
Ecowas delegates held a four-hour meeting with Mr Tandja over the weekend to persuade him to delay the election.
But the BBC's Idy Baraou in Niamey says no clear-cut solution emerged from the talks.
Six million people are eligible to vote to elect a new 113-member parliament, but correspondents say the campaign has been marked by indifference among residents.
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