The new left-wing party being founded by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana has voted not to have a single leader.

At the party’s founding conference in Liverpool, voters opted to be led by a panel of members – avoiding a potentially explosive leadership race between Sultana and Corbyn.

The party also overwhelmingly backed plans to allow members to remain in other left-wing groups, only days after several members were expelled for belonging to the Socialist Workers Party.

It is due to announce its name on Sunday evening, ending months of speculation.

Corbyn will close the conference by announcing the result of a ballot that saw members choosing between Your Party, Our Party, Popular Alliance and For The Many.

A party spokesperson said the new leadership model “shows that we really are doing politics differently – from the bottom up, not the top down”.

“In Westminster we have a professional political class increasingly disconnected from ordinary people, serving corporations and billionaires instead of the communities they are supposed to represent,” the spokesperson added.

“With a truly member-led party, we will offer something different: democratic, grassroots, accountable.”

Under the model, the party will be led by a Central Executive Committee (CEC) made up of 16 non-politicians chosen by members, rather than a single leader.

The decision, approved by only 51% of members, headed off a leadership race that many had expected between Corbyn and Sultana.

A contest between its two most well-known figures could have re-opened many of the splits that have overshadowed the founding of the fledgling party.

Since launching the party in a surprise announcement in July, Sultana has repeatedly clashed with party officials.

And less than a month out from its founding conference, MPs Adnan Hussain and Iqbal Mohamed left the group overseeing the project, citing a “toxic culture” – particularly towards Muslim men.

Before leaving, both Hussain and Mohamed both put their name to a letter criticising Sultana for failing to transfer an estimated £800,000 of Your Party donations held by a company she controls.

Sultana has transferred £600,000, promising any remaining money would be paid “as soon as possible, as the legal details are ironed out”.

Sultana did not attend the opening day of the party’s conference in protest of the expulsion of some members who had retained their membership of other left-wing groups, such as the Socialist Workers Party.

On Sunday, the new conference overwhelmingly approved allowing members to have dual membership in the future – Sultana’s preferred option.

The CEC will be able to exclude groups deemed to be at odds with Your Party’s values and will also oversee the party’s strategy, staffing and resources.

A “democratic whip” system will allow the CEC to instruct MPs to vote in line with party policy on crucial issues, though local branches will decide any sanctions for breaking the whip.

Under the new constitution, the Independent Alliance of MPs – made up of Corbyn, Ayoub Khan and Shockat Adam – will oversee the selection of candidates for next year’s local election, alongside a members’ oversight committee made up of randomly selected members.

It is not known if Sultana will have a role in the selection process.