A former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, has been given permission to take part in the general election set for May, after an electoral court decided to reverse the restriction on his candidacy.
The electoral commission had prevented Zuma from participating last month due to a contempt of court conviction.
As per a BBC report on Tuesday, the commission stated that the constitution prohibits individuals with a criminal conviction and a sentence of over 12 months from holding public office.
At 81 years old, Zuma has been campaigning for the new uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party.
Formerly a prominent figure in the African National Congress, he is a controversial personality and served as president from 2009 until 2018, when he had to step down due to corruption allegations.
In 2021, he was given a 15-month jail term for not testifying in a corruption investigation, but he served only three months due to health reasons.
The court ruling could significantly affect the outcome of the next month’s election.
Zuma is the leading figure of the recently established MK opposition party, which is named after the ANC’s former military wing.
The former president views himself as the rightful successor to the revolutionary origins of the ANC, once led by Nelson Mandela.
Zuma’s legal victory now enables him to run as the primary candidate for the MK party.
Instead of directly voting for a president, South Africans elect members of the National Assembly. The leader of the party with the most support is likely to become the country’s leader, although they may propose a different candidate.
The ruling is also a setback for the ANC, which, after being in power for 30 years, is facing a potentially tough election.
For the first time since the start of the democratic era in 1994, the ANC’s share of votes could drop below 50 percent, according to numerous opinion polls.
The MK party is seen as popular in Mr. Zuma’s hometown of KwaZulu-Natal, as per a BBC report.
