Jacob Zuma Disqualified From National Elections

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been disqualified from participating in the upcoming national election next week due to a previous criminal conviction.

This decision, made by the country’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, is expected to escalate political tensions as the crucial vote approaches.

The Constitutional Court ruled that a section of the constitution, which prohibits individuals from running for office if they have been sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine, applies to the 82-year-old Zuma. In 2021, Zuma was handed a 15-month prison sentence by the Constitutional Court for contempt after he refused to testify at a government corruption inquiry

The issue of whether Zuma’s sentence disqualifies him from the election next Wednesday arose because he had no avenue to appeal the court’s decision that led to his imprisonment.

Initially, Zuma was barred from running by the Independent Electoral Committee responsible for overseeing South Africa’s elections. However, he successfully appealed to the Electoral Court, which argued that since he had no recourse to appeal the contempt ruling, the disqualification did not apply in his case.

The Constitutional Court ruled on Monday that Zuma is barred from running for Parliament for five years after completing his sentence. Zuma served as South African president from 2009 to 2018 but resigned amidst corruption allegations. He reentered politics last year with a new party, criticizing the African National Congress, the party he once led.

“It is declared that Mr. Zuma was convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than 12 months’ imprisonment, … and is accordingly not eligible to be a member of, and not qualified to stand for election to, the National Assembly,” its ruling said.

Also Read:Jacob Zuma appeals against election ban

The upcoming election poses a significant challenge for the ANC, which has governed for 30 years since the end of apartheid. The party faces the risk of losing its majority for the first time, potentially leading Africa’s most advanced economy into a national coalition government.

Zuma, who was forced to quit as president in 2018, has fallen out with the governing African National Congress (ANC) and has been campaigning for a new party called uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) named after the ANC’s formed armed wing.

Zuma’s MK Party is anticipated to diminish some of the ANC’s support due to his popularity in certain regions of the 62 million-populated country.