South Africa: The Electoral Commission of South Africa is appealing to the highest court for clarity on whether Ex-President Jacob Zuma can run as a candidate.
In a statement issued, the commission said that it submitted an ‘urgent and direct’ plea to the Constitutional Court seeking a definitive interpretation of the constitutional article that relates to the candidacy of individuals who were convicted.
It is important to clarify the current matter not only for a live issue but also for future elections. This statement was made about the ongoing legal dispute regarding the eligibility of senior politician Jacob Zuma. An electoral court overturned a previous decision that barred Zuma from running for public office, allowing him to contest the upcoming presidential election.
Zuma, who once led the African National Congress (ANC) party, is now a member of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK) and hopes to run for president under its banner. In May of this year, citizens of South Africa will cast their votes to elect 400 members of the General Assembly. Just a month later, the new parliament will select the next president.
The political party, MK, is aiming to secure enough votes to win parliament seats and reduce the African National Congress’ vote share, relying on the popularity of Zuma. If successful, the ANC could see its vote share fall below 50 percent for the first time since 1994. Without a parliamentary majority, they would keep looking for coalition partners to stay in power, potentially turning Zuma into a kingmaker, as per the critics.
According to some opinion polls, the political party MK is expected to receive over 10 percent of the nationwide votes in an election. This would make it the third or fourth most popular political force in the country, after the ANC and the Democratic Alliance. The party is expected to do well in KwaZulu-Natal due to President Zuma’s influence, despite corruption allegations. However, he was disqualified from the election due to a 15-month jail sentence for refusing to testify.
Zuma’s legal team contended that his sentence did not render him ineligible because it resulted from civil, not criminal, proceedings and was reduced by a remission. Zuma was released on medical parole just two months into his prison term. The purpose of the appeal, according to the commission, is not to interfere in the political arena, but rather to guarantee a transparent and equitable electoral process.
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