By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The party led by South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has asked the country’s highest court to stop the newly elected parliament from convening for the first time on Friday when it is expected to elect the President.
The ex-leader’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party says it is boycotting the session, alleging irregularities in last month’s general election.
In legal papers submitted to the Constitutional Court, MK accused South Africa’s election commission of wrongly declaring the general election free and fair.
It also argues that holding Friday’s parliamentary inaugural sitting would be unconstitutional, saying there would not be enough members to form a quorum.
Additionally, Zuma’s party is demanding that a fresh election be held within 90 days.
Zuma, a former ANC leader, is an ally-turned-enemy of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is seeking a second term in office.
Under Ramaphosa, the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since it was elected in 1994, leaving it with the only option of seeking alliance with other political parties to retain power.
With the 40% of the vote garnered, which is not enough to decide the next President, ANC has commenced talks with other parties, seeking to form a government of national unity.
Zuma has repeatedly blamed his successor Ramaphosa for his electoral loss in 2018, when the party removed him partly because of corruption allegations
Last December, Mr Zuma announced that he would be campaigning for MK.
MK put up a good performance in the election after it came third in the first election it contested since registering as a party last September.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has not confirmed it plans to vote for Mr Ramaphosa to be re-elected, neither has the party said it would not back him.
“The focus on the negotiations now is finding solutions to the process towards formation of governments [at national and provincial level],” DA spokesman Solly Malatsi told the BBC.
“Ramaphosa is the president of the ANC and that’s the knowledge on which we are all negotiating with,” he added.
Parliamentary officials had previously dismissed the MK’s objections, saying its interpretation of the constitution was incorrect.
The Chief Justice has announced a date for the first sitting.
