South Africa's ruling African National Council (ANC) will appoint the country's caretaker leader today, after President Thabo Mbeki's was ousted by the party.

Mbeki told the nation on Sunday that he had tendered his resignation.

The ANC asked Mbeki to quit before the end of his term next year, eight days after a judge threw out corruption charges against party leader Jacob Zuma, suggesting there was high-level political meddling in the case.

In another development, Israeli President Shimon Peres held talks on Sunday with parliamentary factions on the formation of a new coalition government after the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Olmert, who faces criminal indictment in corruption probes, submitted his resignation to Peres on Sunday, four days after he was replaced by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni as leader of the ruling Kadima party in an internal election.