The World Briefly

April 11, 2024

Back in the Saddle Again

South Africa

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A South African electoral court on Tuesday overturned a decision to ban former President Jacob Zuma from running in this year’s general election, reshuffling the deck ahead of the most competitive vote in the nation’s democratic history, Al Jazeera reported.

Zuma, 81, was barred by an electoral commission last month because of his criminal record: The commission explained that it was illegal for anyone sentenced to more than 12 months in prison to hold public office, according to the constitution. The electoral court did not explain in its decision why it allowed Zuma to run in May’s election.

The former president is campaigning with the newly formed uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party against the African National Congress (ANC), which used to be his political home.

Leading South Africa from 2009 to 2018, Zuma stepped down amid graft allegations and was sentenced to 15 months in jail for failing to testify in court over the accusations. He only served three months because of health reasons.

The court’s verdict is likely to change the outcome of the May 29 general election.

Zuma still enjoys great popularity, especially among South Africa’s Zulu majority, and could help propel the MK to prominence. Opinion polls show the party could win over 10 percent of nationwide votes, ranking third or fourth behind the ANC and the liberal democratic alliance, Le Monde reported.

This would mark the first time that the ANC would win less than 50 percent of the vote share. The party, which has led South Africa for all of its post-Apartheid years, would then have to negotiate a coalition agreement with opposition parties.

South Africans do not vote for their president; instead, following the general election, the majority party in parliament selects a candidate for the top job.

This story originally appeared in the April 11, 2024 newsletter, Stuck in Celestial Hades.