South Africa’s Constitutional Court declared on Monday that former President Jacob Zuma is ineligible to be elected to the National Assembly in next week’s general election.
The Supreme Court dismissed Zuma’s appeal against an election commission finding that a previous contempt conviction barred him from becoming an MP.
Zuma was forbidden from running for office by the electoral commission last month after being found in contempt of court.
According to the BBC, 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 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 the next presidential election.
The ex-president 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.
