Former South African president Jacob Zuma criticized Sunday the country’s new coalition government and called for fresh elections.
“There must be a repeat. No, There must be an elections,” Zuma, who’s also the leader of the new uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, said at a press briefing in Johannesburg.
The MK Party came third in the May 29 elections and said none of its 58 newly elected lawmakers will join the ruling collation.
Zuma has previously said that his party won’t negotiate while Cyril Ramaphosa is the leader of the African National Congress (ANC), a position largely driven by Zuma’s animosity toward the man who replaced him as president.
Ramaphosa was reelected as president by lawmakers for a second term on Friday, after his party struck a dramatic late coalition deal.
The 71-year-old Ramaphosa secured his second term with the help of lawmakers from the country’s second biggest party, the Democratic Alliance, and some smaller parties.
“The whole big group of political parties, all complaining simultaneously that we are robbed here. We want this to be looked at.” Zuma said.
The former president told his party supporters that affected parties would take the matter up with courts outside the country, saying the South African judicial system could not be trusted to be impartial.
“We are going to the international court…so that this country does not have the South African judges doing so,” he said.
Zuma also called for new elections to take place, citing irregularities at polling stations.
“Let us see the votes properly. We have many stories about votes. Some burnt. You don’t even need to listen to what people have to say,” he added.
Zuma stepped down as president in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was reelected by lawmakers for a second term on Friday.
The result comes after his African National Congress party struck a dramatic late coalition deal with the main opposition and other parties.
Ramaphosa won convincingly in a vote against a surprise candidate who was also nominated in Parliament — Julius Malema, the leader of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters.
The 71-year-old Ramaphosa secured a second term with the help of lawmakers from the second biggest Democratic Alliance party and others after the ANC lost its 30-year parliamentary majority in a landmark election two weeks ago.
The ANC signed an agreement with the DA — once its fiercest political foe — during the parliamentary session and just hours before the vote for president, ensuring Ramaphosa returned as leader of Africa’s most industrialized economy.
The parties will now co-govern South Africa in its first national coalition where no party has a majority.
