Roelf Meyer said Thursday that if Mangosuthu Buthelezi's Zulu-based Inkatha Freedom Party and the white separatist Afrikaner Freedom Front failed to confirm their participation within 24 hours, it would be too late.
Asked what would happen after Friday afternoon by which time lists of candidates must be declared, Meyer shrugged and said: "Then the ballots are printed and the election goes ahead without them."
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