Mbeki 'could remain ANC leader'

Thabo Mbeki has been criticised for being too pro-business

South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki has opened the door to serving another term as leader of the African National Congress after elections this year.

This puts him in a strong position to influence the ANC's choice as candidate for national elections in 2009 - when he is to stand down as president.

He said it would be "disrespectful" to ignore the party leadership, if they asked him to stay on.

The question of who should succeed Mr Mbeki has been dividing the ANC.

The ANC candidate would be the overwhelming favourite to win national elections due in 2009.

'Guillotine'

The ANC ended a key meeting on Saturday by saying it would be possible for the party leader to be different from the presidential candidate but it would be preferable for them to be the same person.

Analysts see this as a "compromise", enabling the party to put off the potentially divisive decision of choosing its candidate.

Jacob Zuma remains a contender despite his legal battles

"The alternative was for the guillotine to come down on his [Mbeki's] head. That didn't happen," Witwatersrand political analyst Susan Booysen told the AFP news agency.

The ANC is due to choose its leader in December, with deputy party president Jacob Zuma and politician-turned-tycoon Tokyo Sexwale seen as front-runners to succeed Mr Mbeki if he does not stand again.

Politician-turned-businessman Cyril Ramaphosa is another potential strong candidate.

"If the leadership... said: 'No, you better stay for whatever good reason', that would be fine. You couldn't act in a way that disrespected such a view," he said.

Mr Zuma is popular with the ANC youth wing and unionists, who criticise Mr Mbeki's economic policies.

They say he is too pro-business and want him to do more to reduce poverty.

But during last week's ANC policy conference, President Mbeki said there was a limit to what the ANC could achieve in the time it had been in power:

"It is not possible to solve problems that have accumulated over 350 years in a mere 13 years of our democracy."