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UNITED Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa has declared his party the "de facto official opposition" to the ruling ANC - a statement which positions him as a serious contender for Tony Leon's position as the leader of the official opposition in the next election.

Holomisa said while the Democratic Alliance's economic policies, which seek to diminish the role of the state, were the same as those of the ANC, the UDM's policies were different from those of the ruling party.

The increasing perception of the DA as serving a white minority was also working against the party.

Holomisa's ambitious statement could further drive a wedge in what seems to be a fragile relationship between the UDM and the DA ahead of the 2004 general elections.

"The DA's support in terms of the demographics of the country also shows that it draws most of its support from the (white) minority of the population as opposed to the UDM's diverse support," said Holomisa during an interview with City Press.

"It is precisely because of the racial breakdown of the DA's support that the ANC cannot listen to the views expressed by its leader Tony Leon. If it fails to address Leon, then the DA does not have a future."

Holomisa said the fact that the DA's majority support comes from the minority community was weakening its opposition credentials.

While Holomisa said his party would co- operate with opposition parties, he ruled out a possible alliance of opposition parties to fight the next election.

He said the recent survey conducted under the auspices of the Van Zyl Slabbert commission - which revealed that more than 63 percent of people surveyed would like to elect their own president - was an indication that President Thabo Mbeki's popularity was on the wane.

Mbeki's problem was that he did not listen to his own members within the ANC and its alliance partners with regard to the country's economic policies, Holomisa said.

Although the survey had not been aimed at gauging Mbeki's popularity, the response to the survey was an expression of public frustration with Mbeki, said Holomisa.

The UDM supported an electoral system that would separate the election of the president and members of parliament.

The party also supported a mixed electoral system in which half of the members of parliament were elected by proportional representation and the other half were elected directly by the voters.

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