South Africa: Former president Jacob Zuma barred from running in May election
Jacob Zuma
Former president Jacob Zuma of South Africa has been barred from running in the country’s upcoming general elections scheduled for May, said the country’s electoral officialson Thursday (Mar 28).
Election Commission upholds objection
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said that it upheld an objection filed against the former president without giving details.
“In the case of former president Zuma, yes, we did receive an objection, which has been upheld,” electoral commission president Mosotho Moepya told reporters.
He added, “The party that has nominated him has been informed.”
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Zuma, 81, has been campaigning for the opposition uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party in an attempt to relaunch his political career ahead of the general election.
The former president has until April 2 to appeal against the decision.
MK spokesman Nhlamulo Ndlhela told AFP the party was “looking at the merit of that objection but we will of course appeal it”.
South Africans will head to polls on May 29 in what is expected to be the most competitive vote since 1994.
Why is Zuma being barred?
The former president stepped down in 2018 following corruption allegations after being in power for nearly a decade.
In 2021, he was handed a 15-month prison sentence for contempt of court. According to South Africa’s constitution, a person who has been convicted and sentenced to more than 12 months in prison is not allowed to hold public office.
Zuma is also facing charges of corruption over a multi-billion dollar arms deal from the 1990s when he served as the vice president. The former president’s recent backing was also viewed as a threat to the governing African National Congress (ANC).
The request to deregister MK, which is named after ANC’s former military wing, was rejected by South Africa’s electoral body, on Tuesday (Mar 26).
Also Read |South Africa’s ANC suspends former president Jacob Zuma
In January, the ANC suspended the former president from the party.
However, the governing party is also not faring well in the polls ahead of the upcoming elections. The ANC is on the brink of dropping below 50 per cent of the vote for the first time since it came to power at the end of apartheid, reported AFP.
Meanwhile, MK hadpreviously threatened violenceif Zuma was barred from contesting the elections.
The former president’s brief imprisonment had sparked riots which claimed more than 350 lives, in the country’s worst violence since the advent of democracy.
(With inputs from agencies)