Court won't force secret ballot on Parliament over Zuma no-confidence vote, say law experts
President Jacob Zuma’s political future may hinge on a decision by the Constitutional Court whether to force Parliament to hold a secret vote on an opposition motion of no confidence in his leadership. While the Constitutional Court would probably rule after hearing arguments on Monday that a secret ballot was legal, it was unlikely to order Parliament to use one when it voted on the no-confidence motion in Zuma, said analysts such as Cathi Albertyn, a law professor at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits). "It is going to be very hesitant to order Parliament to hold a secret ballot," she said. "That might well be seen as stepping over the line." The United Democratic Movement (UDM) brought the case, maintaining that since Parliament votes by secret ballot to elect the president, it should also be able to use it to remove him. The opposition filed the no-confidence motion in Zuma in April after he fired Pravin Gordhan as finance minister, prompting S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Rati...
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