The South African Constitutional Court has prohibited former President Jacob Zuma from participating in the upcoming national election, scheduled for next week, due to a previous criminal conviction.
This decision, announced on Monday, is expected to heighten political tensions ahead of a critical vote, according to an AP report.
The Court cited a constitutional provision that disqualifies individuals from running for office if they have been sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine.
This provision was found to be applicable to Zuma, who is now 82 years old. In 2021, the Constitutional Court sentenced Zuma to 15 months in prison for contempt of court after he refused to testify at a judicial inquiry into government corruption.
The issue of whether this sentence disqualified Zuma from the election arose because he had no option to appeal the apex court’s decision that led to his imprisonment.
Initially, the Independent Electoral Committee disqualified him, but he successfully appealed to the Electoral Court.
The Electoral Court ruled that since Zuma had no appeal options against the contempt ruling, the disqualification did not apply to him.
However, the Constitutional Court overturned this decision on Monday, ruling that Zuma is barred from running for Parliament for five years from the completion of his sentence.
Zuma, who served as South African president from 2009 to 2018, resigned amid a series of corruption allegations.
Last year, Zuma returned to politics with a new party, the MK Party, and has been a vocal critic of the African National Congress (ANC), the party he once led.
His new party is expected to draw away some of the ANC’s votes due to his popularity in certain regions of the country.
Zuma was also poised for a controversial return to Parliament, six years after being forced to step down as president by the ANC due to allegations of widespread corruption during his administration.
Additionally, Zuma faces separate corruption charges and is scheduled to go on trial next April, where he has pleaded not guilty.
