Zuma: I will fight for my right to run for parliament in South Africa
The former president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma has vowed to fight for what he called his 'right' to run for parliament in the general election scheduled to take place next week.
Last Monday, the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled that Zuma is not eligible to run in the election, insisting that he does not have the qualifications to be a candidate in the democratic exercise.
In a video posted on YouTube by his Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) political party, Zuma said: The judges of the Constitutional Court have made decisions that say I should not enjoy my freedom and my democracy.
Zuma has emphasized that, "I will fight for my rights until this country agrees that freedom should be freedom in its entirety, not just for some people, and then injustice for others."
The case against Zuma was based on the decision in March of the Electoral Commission in South Africa to remove the politician from the election on the grounds that the Constitution prevents anyone who has served a prison term of 12 months or more from holding a position in Parliament.
In 2021, Zuma was sentenced to 15 years in prison for failing to appear in court to hear the case against him on suspicion of involvement in corruption.
Zuma hoped to run for the presidency on the ticket of the MK party, which he joined last year after throwing mud at the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party that he once led. On May 29, South Africans will vote to elect 400 members of Parliament. A month later, members of parliament in the new parliament will elect the next president.
