Motlanthe will be South Africa's head of state until elections next year [AFP]

Kgalema Motlanthe was chosen at a meeting of the party's parliamentary caucus on Monday to take over from Mbeki until elections are held around April next year.

"Motlanthe will be the president, not interim, he will be the president of the republic until the election," KK Khumalo, spokesman for the ANC parliamentary caucus, said after a meeting between the party and MPs.

Mbeki stepped down, seven months before his second term as president was due to end, after the ANC asked him to, saying that party unity was at stake.

"I remain a member of the ANC and therefore respect its decisions," Mbeki said in a televised speech on Sunday.

"It is for this reason that I have taken the decision to resign as president of the republic following the decision of the National Executive Committee of the ANC."

ANC domination

MPs will vote on the appointment of Molanthe, who already has a position in the cabinet, but the ANC has dominated the parliament since the end of apartheid and the start of majority rule in May 1994.

Jacob Zuma, the ANC leader and the man who was expected to succeed Mbeki when his term ended in 2009, was not eligible to replace Mbeki at this stage because he is not a member of parliament.

Mbeki had faced criticism over allegations that he pushed for corruption charges to be brought against Zuma.

A court ruling, handed down on September 12, threw out charges of corruption against Zuma, saying the prosecuting team violated some of his procedural rights.

The government has denied interfering in the case.

Mbeki said the government "never compromised the right of the national prosecuting authority to decide whom it wished to prosecute or not to prosecute".

"This applies equally to the painful matter relating to the court proceedings against the president of the ANC, comrade Jacob Zuma," he said.

Divided party

In an apparently concilatory move, Mathews Phosa, ANC treasurer-general, said on Sunday that the ANC wanted the current cabinet under the interim head of state.

"We want the cabinet to stay. We are very happy if they stay and we do these things together," he said.

The ANC has been divided since Mbeki sacked Zuma as the deputy president, following corruption charges against him.

And the animosity has continued with Zuma's allies in the trade unions and the Communist party, as well as other critics, have accused Mbeki of being out of touch with millions of poor South Africans, despite his success ensuring growth and attracting foreign investment.

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