- Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been disqualified from participating in the next national election due to a previous criminal conviction by the Constitutional Court.
- Mr Zuma was found guilty of contempt and sentenced to 15 months in prison, triggering his constitutional disqualification.
- His disqualification prevents him from running for parliament for five years after completing his sentence.
South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma was disqualified on Monday from running in next week’s national elections because of his past criminal convictions, a decision by the country’s highest court that adds to political tensions ahead of the crucial vote. It is inevitable that this will increase.
The Constitutional Court said the constitutional provision that disqualifies anyone from running for office if sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine also applies to the 82-year-old Zuma. Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison by the Constitutional Court in 2021 for refusing to testify in a judicial inquiry into government corruption.
The legal battle over whether the ruling disqualified Mr Zuma from next Wednesday’s elections arose because there was no option to appeal the Supreme Court’s decision that sent Mr Zuma to prison.
Corruption trial date set for former South African leader to fight separate case to stand for election
He was initially disqualified by the Independent Electoral Commission, which administers elections in South Africa, but won an appeal to the Electoral Tribunal, which ruled against him because there was no option to appeal a contempt judgment. said it does not apply to the situation.
Former South African President Jacob Zuma greets supporters at Orlando Stadium in the Soweto district of Johannesburg, South Africa, May 18, 2024. The prior conviction disqualified him on Monday from running in next week’s national elections. The ruling by the country’s highest court is sure to heighten political tensions ahead of the crucial vote. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
The Constitutional Court overturned this on Monday. The newspaper said Mr Zuma will not be able to run for parliament for five years after his sentence ends.
Zuma served as South Africa’s president from 2009 to 2018, but resigned amid a series of corruption allegations. He returned to politics last year by forming a new party and has been a fierce critic of the ruling African National Congress, which he once led.
The election is expected to be the toughest test for the ANC, which has been in power for 30 years since the end of the white minority-ruled apartheid system. The ruling party is at risk of losing its majority for the first time, which would likely force Africa’s most developed economy to form a national coalition government for the first time.
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Mr Zuma’s new MK party is expected to erode some of the ANC’s vote due to the former leader’s popularity in some parts of the country’s 62 million people. Mr Zuma is also set to make a controversial return to parliament, six years after he was forced to resign as president by his ANC over allegations of widespread government takeover during his tenure. Ta.
Zuma has also been charged with corruption in a separate case and is scheduled to go to trial in April next year. He pleaded not guilty.
