A Tuesday ruling by a South African court has declared former President Jacob Zuma fit to participate in the upcoming general election, overturning a previous decision that had barred him from entering the electoral race.
The Electoral Court’s verdict allowed Zuma to potentially run for the presidency representing the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK), a political group he joined last year after he left the African National Congress (ANC), a party he once led.
The electoral commission initially disqualified Zuma from candidacy due to his criminal record, arguing that the constitution prohibited people from holding public office if they were convicted of a crime and sentenced to more than 12 months in prison.
In its ruling, the court nullified the Electoral Commission’s decision, paving the way for Zuma’s participation in the electoral process.
Zuma served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018, when he stepped down due to corruption allegations.
In June 2021, he was sentenced to 15 months in jail after refusing to testify to a panel investigating financial corruption during his presidency.
According to Aljazeera reports, his lawyers on Monday told the court that the sentence didn’t render the politician ineligible since it stemmed from civil, not criminal, proceedings and had been reduced due to remission.
Following the court’s ruling in favour of the ex-president, Zuma, at 81, becomes the face of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party in the upcoming May 29 general election.
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