The Congress of the People (Cope) will launch its election manifesto in January next year, the party’s leadership team said on Wednesday.
Cope’s 42-member congress national committee met in Bloemfontein a day after its three-day inaugural conference ended in the Free State capital.
”The congress national committee confirmed that the theme for the Congress of the People manifesto will be ‘A New Agenda for Change and Hope’. The manifesto will be launched on January 24 [next year] in the Eastern Cape,” it said in a statement.
The committee confirmed that 3 866 people had attended the inaugural conference.
”Of these, 2 765 were voting delegates and the difference was made up of observers, guests, volunteers and media,” Cope said.
On Tuesday, Cope named Mosiuoa Lekota as leader to steer it through the 2009 elections and rapturously welcomed anti-apartheid struggle stalwart Allan Boesak, a potential vote magnet in the Western Cape, into its ranks.
In its final session on Tuesday, the founding conference appointed former Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa as Cope’s first deputy president, and a political unknown from the same province, businesswoman Lynda Odendaal, as second deputy.
”She has no political profile, but it will be built,” Lekota said.
The leaders, chosen by what the party said was consensus, and not by a conference ballot, will hold their posts until 2011.
Lekota said the support the fledgling party has won in the weeks since it was formed in protest at the African National Congress sacking of president Thabo Mbeki proved its strength. — Sapa