The Democratic Alliance has chosen John Steenhuisen as its interim federal leader and Ivan Meyer as its interim federal chairperson during a closed federal council meeting held at the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg on Sunday.

The party’s national spokesperson Solly Malatsi confirmed this in a tweet, shortly before the two were set to address the media.

The two positions became vacant following Mmusi Maimane and Athol Trollip’s surprise resignations, three days after Helen Zille was elected as the party’s federal council chair in October. Zille replaced James Selfe, who had been in the position for nearly two decades.

Steenhuisen, the party’s current parliamentary leader was facing off against Gana, who is a Gauteng MPL for the position.

Meyer, who is deputy federal chairperson, was competing with Khume Ramulifho who is also an MPL in the Gauteng legislature and Nomafrench Mbombo, the DA Women’s Network leader and Western Cape health MEC for the position.

The two party interim leaders will hold the fort until its early congress in 2020.

A total of 160 DA council members had gathered to cast their votes. The members were made up of premiers, MECs, mayors, members of the different mayoral committees in the country as well as all national and provincial spokespersons.

The federal council is the DA’s highest decision-making body when federal congress is not in session.

More to follow.