Zuma Doubles Down on South Africa Vote Discrepancy Claims

(Bloomberg) -- South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma repeated his allegation about discrepancies in counting of votes, even as election results showed that his new uMkhonto weSizwe Party had eaten into the support of the ruling African National Congress.

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“Wrong things happened during counting,” he told reporters in Johannesburg on Saturday evening, without providing any evidence. Earlier, MKP spokesman Nhlamulo Ndhela said the organization was considering seeking a “revote.”

South Africa’s electoral commission has denied any disparity in the count.

With the ballots of 99.9% of electoral districts counted in the May 29 election, the ANC has 40.2% of the vote, while Zuma’s party garnered 14.6% just five months after its launch, making it the third-largest. The ANC had 57.5% in the 2019 elections. The business-friendly Democratic Alliance had 21.8% of the vote.

Zuma, who led South Africa for almost nine scandal-ridden years before the ANC forced him from office, has said that his party wants two-third majority.

“Don’t interfere with us by bringing all the tricks,” Zuma said.

(Updates with latest vote count in fourth paragraph)

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