The newly-formed Congress of the People (Cope) will on Monday choose the leaders who will steer it through the 2009 general elections.

The 4000 odd delegates to Cope's founding conference in Bloemfontein will meet behind closed doors for what the party calls a "leadership/election discussion session".

Delegates are to be asked to retain their current leadership, the party’s organisational report says.

Though the interim leadership hopes that the final list will emerge by consensus, organisers have made contingency arrangements for voting.

An independent elections agency, Accord, will be on hand to conduct a poll if needed.

On Sunday, the first day of the conference, delegates heard an opening speech by interim chairperson Terror Lekota before going into a closed session for an organisational report.

Lekota, who has been at the forefront of the formation of Cope, is at present the party’s chairperson, with former Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa as the deputy chair, and former defence minister Mluleki George as the national organiser.

A senior Cope member told Sapa that provincial party structures were keen to keep the current leadership in their posts for the sake of continuity.

The conference climaxes with a rally on Tuesday, as the ANC stages a counter rally, to be addressed by party president Jacob Zuma, marking the 47th anniversary of the birth of Umkhonto we Sizwe.

Sapa