The electoral commission announced that it had petitioned South Africa’s highest court to decide whether former president Jacob Zuma is eligible to run in the upcoming general election in May, amid escalating political tensions.
The upcoming vote is anticipated to be the most fiercely contested since South Africa’s transition to democracy in 1994, and Zuma’s potential participation in the campaign could significantly influence its outcome.
The commission stated in a release that it had filed an “urgent and direct” appeal to the Constitutional Court seeking “certainty” on the matter.
It is the latest twist in legal wrangling over the eligibility of the 82-year-old, who celebrated his birthday Friday and is fronting uMkhonto we Sizwe, a new opposition party that has become a potential disruptor in the May 29 ballot.
In a surprise verdict on Tuesday, the electoral court ruled that Zuma could stand, overturning a decision by the electoral commission to bar him over a contempt of court conviction.
The commission had excluded Zuma from the race at the end of last month, saying the constitution barred anyone sentenced to more than 12 months’ imprisonment.
Zuma was handed 15 months in jail in June 2021 after refusing to testify to a panel investigating financial corruption and cronyism during his presidency.
READ ALSO: Zuma wins bid to contest in South Africa’s general election
His lawyers argued the sentence did not disqualify him as it followed civil rather than criminal proceedings, and had been shortened by a remission.
Zuma was freed on medical parole just two months into his jail term.
The electoral commission said Friday that there was “substantial public interest in providing certainty on the proper interpretation” of the constitutional article relating to election candidates who have been convicted.
“Such clarity is important in the present matter because of a live issue but also for future elections,” it said.
