African National Congress (ANC) Chief Whip Jackson Mthembu says as soon as the Motion of No Confidence in President Jacob Zuma is passed, the party will waste no time in inaugurating a new President to ensure that Parliament’s programme proceeds as soon as possible.
“The sooner all these matters are attended to, the better, so that we can do the Budget. We would like the incoming president to put forward to the nation what the programme of the ANC will be for this year,” Mthembu said on Wednesday, following an ANC Caucus meeting.
Mthembu said they will be approaching other parties in Parliament, including those who put the motion forward.
“There is no way that we would've wished for them to withdraw their motion without us approaching the EFF. As long as the amendments are in line with the Rules of Parliament, so we are not negotiating the amendments with the EFF. We will put forward our own substantive motion.
“It's likely, depending on the availability of Chief Justice, we can probably elect a new President,” Mthembu said.
He said they would like to elect a new president in Parliament by Friday, if not possible by Thursday.
“ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa could be elected as SA President as soon as tomorrow (Thursday) or Friday. This needs to be done before the Budget.”
He said this could mean “…there’s a possibility of SONA to be on Friday. SONA debate on Monday. And a response on Tuesday. But Budget Speech will go ahead on Wednesday 21st February”. – SAnews.gov.za
