A new South African president is to be sworn into office Thursday, after the ruling party forced Thabo Mbeki to resign just months before the end of his term.
Parliament is expected to elect Kgalema Mothlanthe as South Africa's third post-apartheid president Thursday.
Mothlanthe is the deputy leader of the ruling African National Congress party. He will serve until April elections, which ruling party chief Jacob Zuma is expected to win.
Mr. Mbeki chaired his final Cabinet meeting Wednesday, a day after one-third of the Cabinet and South Africa's deputy president stepped down to protest his forced resignation.
Opposition parties have accused the ANC of jeopardizing South Africa's political and economic stability. Zuma told supporters Wednesday that, "There is no reason to panic."
The ANC asked Mr. Mbeki to step down after a judge accused him of interfering in a corruption case against Zuma, his rival. The judge dismissed the case against Zuma on technical grounds.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.
