The electoral commission of South Africa announced on Thursday that former president Jacob Zuma has been barred from participating in the upcoming May 29 general election.
Commission president Mosotho Moepya informed reporters that an objection against Zuma’s candidacy had been upheld, without revealing further details, as reported by AFP.
Both the party that nominated Zuma and the objectors have been notified of the decision, and there is a window for appeal until April 2.
At 81 years old, Zuma was compelled to step down from the presidency in 2018 amid a cloud of corruption accusations.
He is now participating in the election campaign for the opposition uMkhonto we Sizwe party, aiming to rejuvenate his political career and weaken the influence of his former party, the ruling African National Congress.
The upcoming general election, which will determine the next president, is anticipated to be highly contentious.
According to AFP, the African National Congress (ANC) is at risk of falling below a 50% vote share for the first time since the end of apartheid, potentially necessitating a coalition government to maintain power.
Zuma was handed a 15-month jail sentence in June 2021 for contempt of court after refusing to testify before a panel investigating financial misconduct and cronyism during his administration.
In addition to the 2021 contempt ruling, he is also confronting separate charges of corruption related to an arms procurement scandal from the 1990s, when he served as vice president.