South Africa's ruling party says it favors keeping the same person as both the leader of the party and the party's presidential candidate.
Kgalema Motlanthe, the secretary general of the African National Congress (ANC) said Friday he saw no reason to change the current procedures for selecting a party chief. He said a leader would be chosen in December.
The motion was agreed to in Midrand at the ANC's four-day policy conference, which had been overshadowed by a bitter leadership dispute.
President Thabo Mbeki's second term as national and party leader ends in December. The constitution bars a third presidential term.
Friday's decision would seem to call into question his staying on a third term as party leader.
However, if the constitution is changed to allow Mr. Mbeki to run for a new term, he is expected to face a challenge from party deputy president Jacob Zuma.
Mr. Mbeki fired Zuma from his post as South Africa's deputy president in 2005 after he was accused of corruption. A judge later dismissed those charges.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
