In a major relief for former South African president Jacob Zuma, a South African court has allowed him to run in the country’s elections scheduled for May 29. Zuma had earlier been banned from contesting by South Africa’s electoral commission who had ruled that anyone convicted of an offence could not contest. The former president had been jailed for 15 months in June 2021 on corruption charges
Zuma’s ability to contest will affect the fortunes of the ruling African National Congress (ANC). Currently, he is the lead candidate and front for the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK). The ANC has tried to quash Zuma’s candidacy and deregister his party with no success so far. Zuma still holds high popularity amongst a section of South Africans. A freedom fighter, he was imprisoned for 10 years in the battle against apartheid from 1963-73. Local reports say he holds special sway in the KwaZulu-Natal region which is expected to be a key battleground in the election.
From the ANC, President Cyril Ramaphosa is the most likely to be the party’s candidate as he seeks another term. Ramaphosa faces an uphill task as power blackouts, troubled economy, and graft allegations have hurt the party’s image. If the ANC gets below 50% of the vote and gets 40% as is currently being predicted it will have to form a coalition government for the first time in its history.
In South Africa’s electoral system, voters vote for a party, not the president, and follows the model of proportional representation. Having secured the votes, the winning party then decides which candidates it wants to send to the legislature. Once this is done, all the lawmakers of the Lower House must then decide who will be the next president. The president can only serve two five-year terms.
