Zuma will continue to pull the strings of MK party: Analyst

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Political Analyst Professor Dirk Kotze says former President Jacob Zuma will continue to pull the strings regardless of who the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party chooses as a presidential candidate. This after the Electoral Commission (IEC) upheld an objection against Zuma’s candidature in the upcoming elections.

The IEC earlier in the week revealed that it had received eight objections for candidates who were allegedly not eligible to be on the ballot due to them having a criminal record or being convicted. This means Zuma will be barred from contesting for a seat in Parliament because of his criminal record.

Kotze says the elected leader will not have the powers of a real party leader in Parliament.

“That person will be in a sense the substitute of President Zuma. So he or she won’t act on their own. It will always be after what they have consulted with president Zuma and other senior persons. Let’s say they take a stand on how they’re going to vote in Parliament or who they will support as a candidate when there’s elections taking place or anything of those matters. So this person will never be in competition with president Zuma, it will simple be a substitute for him but nothing more than that.”

Zuma will not stand as MK Party candidate in elections: IEC:

The MK party says it will study the IEC’s decision.

MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela says, “We’ve not received any objection on our end, and pending which we will communicate accordingly. I’m not aware of any such communications at this point. Naturally, it will be to assess what that objection is, get a sense, and get our legal team to look at it- if there is any basis for an objection, and then we can take it from there. So, I wouldn’t be in a position right now to respond to what the merits of that objection are- pending the outcome by the review from our attorney, we’ll then be able to respond accordingly.”

Zuma is the only one of the MK-nominated candidates who cannot run.

The decisions of the IEC regarding the candidate lists can be reviewed up until the deadline of the 9th of April with recourse to the Electoral Court, with the 10th of April being the deadline for the final candidate lists.