It was a setback that he undoubtedly saw coming. Candidate in the legislative elections scheduled for May 29, former South African President Jacob Zuma is prohibited from taking part in the vote due to his criminal record, the Electoral Commission announced Thursday March 28. The institution accepted against him the objection formulated by one of the rival parties of its own in the running.
Eight candidates running for parliamentary seats were subject to objections. The candidacy of the ex-president is the only one to have been rejected. “In the case of Jacob Zuma, we received an objection, which was upheld,” Electoral Commission chairman Mosotho Moepya told a news conference.
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The decision is not really a surprise. Since the appearance of the former president's name on the list of parliamentary candidates of the new uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party, observers have expressed doubts about the validity of this candidacy, emphasizing that according to the South African Constitution , no person sentenced to more than twelve months in prison, without the possibility of a fine, is authorized to exercise public office. Jacob Zuma was sentenced to fifteen months' imprisonment for contempt in 2021, after refusing to testify before a commission of inquiry into the systematic corruption which marked his mandate. The Electoral Commission thus issued a unanimous opinion on the disqualification of the ex-president, specifying that its decision had “nothing personal”.
litany of scandals
“It’s a legal provision that we have to assess against an objection, it’s simple. It is a question of knowing whether the person is eligible or not,” added the president of the Electoral Commission, anticipating criticism from the camp of the former head of state who continues to denounce a cabal against him. since his disgrace.
President from 2009 to 2018, Jacob Zuma was forced to resign by his party, the African National Congress (ANC), following a long litany of scandals. Sifting through the “nine wasted years” of his mandate, a sprawling commission of inquiry determined that he had played a central role in the looting of public companies which marked his presidency.
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At 81, many thought his public career was over. Especially since he is also indicted for corruption in an arms sales case in which the South African subsidiary of the French arms giant Thalès is also being prosecuted. It was not knowing him well. At the end of 2023, he made a resounding return to the political scene, further darkening the electoral horizon of his former brothers in arms in the ANC.
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