by Anait Miridzhanian
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been declared ineligible and excluded from the May 29 general elections, the Constitutional Court announced on Monday, a decision that could influence the outcome and raise fears of unrest in the country .
The country’s highest court ruled that Jacob Zuma’s 15-month prison sentence for contempt of court in 2021 prevented him from running in the May 29 election, as the South African Constitution prohibits anyone convicted to a prison sentence of 12 months or more for occupying a parliamentary seat.
“It is declared that Jacob Zuma has been convicted of an offense and sentenced to imprisonment for more than 12 months… and is therefore ineligible to be a member of the Assembly national or to present himself there”, we can read in the decision.
The former president, who was forced to resign from his post in 2018, was suspended from the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and campaigned for a new opposition party called UMkhonto We Sizwe (MK), named of the military wing of the ANC.
Opinion polls suggest that the ANC, in power since the end of apartheid in 1994, could lose its majority and that MK poses a threat, particularly in its home province of KwaZulu-Natal, where it is very strong. popular.
According to a survey published by Ipsos in April, the MK could win around 8% of the vote, compared to just over 40% for the ANC.
If the ANC gets less than 50% support, it will have to seek one or more coalition partners to govern the country, which would be the first such alliance since the party was brought to power by Nelson Mandela.
The imprisonment of Jacob Zuma in 2021 sparked riots in KwaZulu-Natal, which left more than 300 people dead and turned into a wave of looting.
“I am not afraid that this will cause violence,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday, when asked about the risk of altercations during an interview with local radio 702.
“South Africa is governed by the rule of law. Once a constitutional court has made a decision, that is it and if there is a threat of violence, our security forces are ready,” he added.
The South African electoral commission had already excluded Jacob Zuma in March, but a court overturned this decision a month later.
The electoral commission then took the matter to the Constitutional Court.
(Reporting by Anait Miridzhanian, with contributions from Tannur Anders; French version Diana Mandiá, editing by Kate Entringer)
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