Zuma excluded from the next election

Former South African President Jacob Zuma will not be allowed to run in the May 29 general election, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced on Thursday.

” In the case of Mr. Zuma, we received an objection which was upheld“, said the president of the Electoral Commission Mosoto Moepya, emphasizing that the party that nominated him is aware, as well as those who objected.

He explained that the Constitution stipulates that a person who has been convicted of a criminal offense and sentenced to a prison sentence of more than 12 months without the possibility of replacing the sentence with a fine cannot run for office.

Also read: South Africa: Electoral Court authorizes Zuma’s MK party to participate in general elections

Several political parties filed complaints against eight candidates in the upcoming elections, but only one complaint against Mr. Zume respected by the Electoral Commission.

The jailing of the former president in July 2021 for contempt of justice sparked an unprecedented wave of rioting and looting in the country, leaving more than 350 dead and damage estimated at billions of dollars. After two months behind bars, he was released on probation.

In December 2023, Mr. Zuma created his own party called uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK), named after the former military wing of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), urging South Africans not to vote for the party in power. next general elections.

Following this development, the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) decided to institute disciplinary proceedings against the former president instead of immediate expulsion, noting that the suspension would only be dealt with by the party’s Disciplinary Committee until after the elections.

With MAP