Jacob Zuma wins legal tussle to contest in South Africa’s election

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been authorized to run in the May general election after an electoral court overturned a restriction on his candidature.

Zuma was forbidden from running for office by the electoral commission last month after being found in contempt of court.

According to a BBC story on Tuesday, the commission stated that the constitution prohibited people from holding public office if they had been convicted of a felony and sentenced to more than 12 months in prison.

Zuma, 81, is campaigning for the new uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party.

He is a controversial character who was president from 2009 to 2018 when he was forced to resign due to corruption allegations.

He was sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2021 for neglecting to testify in a corruption inquiry, but he served only three months due to health issues.

The decision could have a huge impact on the results of next month’s election.

Zuma is the face of the newly created MK opposition party, which is named after the ANC’s previous military branch.

The former president regards himself as the rightful successor to the ANC’s revolutionary roots, which were previously headed by Nelson Mandela.

Zuma’s legal victory now allows him to run as the MK’s top candidate.

South Africans elect National Assembly members rather than presidents. The leader of whatever party secures a majority is likely to become the country’s leader; however, it may choose another candidate.

South Africans elect National Assembly members rather than presidents. The leader of whatever party secures a majority is likely to become the country’s leader; however, it may choose another candidate.

The verdict will also be a setback for the ANC, which, after 30 years in office, confronts a possibly brutal election.

Several opinion surveys suggest that the ANC’s vote share will go below 50% for the first time since the democratic era began in 1994.

The MK party is popular in Mr. Zuma’s native province of KwaZulu-Natal, according to a BBC report.