Certainly, these are not the best times for President Jacob Zuma of South Africa due to the corruption case against him. Zuma has also come under considerable fire following claims that his administration is targeting Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan. The issue revolves around a rogue unit set up at the treasury which allegedly investigated Mr. Zuma and his allies.
Although the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has spent the past six years challenging the dropping of corruption charges against Zuma, on the grounds that it was irrational in law and unconstitutional, the party recently proposed a motion in parliament to impeach President Jacob Zuma.
The move followed a Constitutional Court ruling that said Zuma should pay part of the $16 million of public funds used to renovate his private home in Nkandla, according to James Selfe, chairman of the DA’s federal executive, which deals with legal matters.
This paves way for a call of no confidence vote by an online platform which received more than 800, 000 signatories. The online petition calls for all 72 ministers and deputy ministers to be excluded from the vote on the motion. According to the report, the opposition parties said that this is to ensure that MPs were not threatened with internal persecution and were able to vote with their conscience.
The impeachment move as however failed.requires support from two-thirds of lawmakers to succeed.
President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil is also facing political crisis. As at the time of compiling the report, the country’s Supreme Court has blocked her cabinet appointment and the majority of Brazilians support her impeachment.
According to report, Justice Gilmar Mendes blocked the appointment of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after he was sworn in as Rousseff’s chief of staff. The decision permits a federal judge to continue the investigation against da Silva.
Rousseff’s opponents believe she is trying to help da Silva, her one-time mentor but under Brazilian law, cabinet-level members cannot be investigated, charged or jailed except with the authorization of the Supreme Court.
The president has insisted the appointment is not linked to da Silva’s legal problems. She said da Silva would help put the country back on track economically. She also says he could help fight attempts to oust her over accusations of financial mismanagement.
Officials are investigating Rousseff and her Workers’ Party for their part in the corruption scandal at state oil company, Petrobras. Prosecutors said more than $2 billion was paid in bribes and other funds by construction and engineering companies in exchange for inflated Petrobras contracts.
Both Rousseff and da Silva have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. But Rousseff has seen her popularity drop sharply.
German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is another president currently facing political crisis. Her problem is linked to her role during the euro zone’s economic crisis, leading the European response and pushing for controversial and painful bailouts for multiple countries and the refugee crisis
According to report, in 2015 alone, roughly 1 million asylum-seekers from conflicts in the Middle East, North Africa, and elsewhere made their way to Germany. Merkel’s open-door approach has been criticized by members of her own Christian Democratic Union party and its sister party
One potential explanation for Merkel’s boldness is that the German political system offers more shelter from public opinion. Merkel also has certain political dynamics on her side in formulating her refugee policies. Her stance on refugees has provoked a rebellion within her own party but many experts believe she is an exceptionally good interpreter of public opinion.
