Zimbabwe's pro-Senate opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction has elected Arthur Mutambara as its president unopposed.

Mutambara will be officially inaugurated and presented to the MDC supporters at a rally penciled for White City stadium on Sunday.

However, Mutambara, 39, shocked delegates when delivering his maiden speech as president of the troubled opposition party when he said he is willing to step down from his post if there was anyone who wanted to challenge him.

During his speech, Mutambara said he was against participating in the senatorial election last year in November and in his view, all opposition Members of Parliament and Senators were supposed to step down.

Nearly all the top posts went unopposed during the opposition party's congress that was held at the Amphitheatre in the Centenary Park in the city on Saturday.

Announcing the winners, MDC National Organizing Secretary, Esau Mdlongwa said Mutambara was elected unopposed by all the 12 provinces.

Gibson Sibanda was nominated unopposed by 12 provinces to retain his position as vice-president of the MDC, while Chimanikire who for five months had been harboring presidential ambitions, was elected by 12 provinces unopposed for national chairman.

The MDC has been torn into feuding camps for the past five months over the decision to take in the November 26, 2005 senatorial election.

The Tsvangirai led faction that seemed to be unsettled with the candidature of Mutambara as president of the other faction was dissuading the rival faction from going ahead with its congress.

Source: Xinhua