South Africa's ruling ANC party has decided to recall President Thabo Mbeki before the end of his term next year saying he had pledged to accept the move and step aside voluntarily.
"After a long and difficult discussion the ANC decided to recall the President before his term of office expires," Gwede Mantashe, the ANC's secretary-general, said in a press conference east of Johannesburg. Mr Mbeki's term was set to end in April 2009.
Mr Mantashe said Mr Mbeki, who has ruled Africa's largest economy since taking over for Nelson Mandela in 1999, had welcomed the news when he was informed.
Last week Mr Mbeki had told the cabinet he would accept whatever decision the ANC made.
The ANC will ask Mr Mbeki's cabinet ministers to remain in their positions in the transition period after Mr Mbeki leaves office for the sake of the country's stability, Mr Mantashe added.
The ANC's most senior members met in Johannesburg to debate Mr Mbeki’s future and his alleged links to the National Prosecuting Authority's decision to charge their leader last November.
The authority decided to resurrect corruption, fraud and racketeering charges against ANC leader Jacob Zuma days after he was elected leader of the ruling party at Mr Mbeki's expense.
Mr Mbeki has been in the firing line since high court judge Chris Nicholson ruled last week that the authority's decision to prosecute Mr Zuma was invalid due to procedural mistakes.
The judge also said it was not too difficult to believe the decision to change the ANC leader was politically motivated. However, the authority has decided to appeal Mr Nicholson's ruling to the supreme court.
Yesterday Mr Mbeki denied "for the record" he had any involvement in the authority's decision to prosecute Mr Zuma, saying the "insults being hurled" by his supporters were not based on facts.