South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has lost a bid to have the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, endorsed by former ANC leader Jacob Zuma, removed from the ballot before the elections in May.

The Electoral Court dismissed the application in a judgment handed down on Tuesday. The ANC had argued that the MK party illegally used a logo similar to one used by the ANC’s military wing and should therefore be deregistered.

“There is nothing unlawful about the registration” of the MK party, Judge Leicester Adams said in the ruling in Johannesburg. “The application is dismissed with no order as to costs,” fellow Judge Lebogang Modiba said.

The MK Party’s participation in the election risks further eroding support for the ANC, which may lose its national majority for the first time since the party came to power at the end of apartheid 30 years ago.

Launched in September 2023, the MK Party gained national attention in December, when Zuma publicly endorsed it and said he wouldn’t vote for the ANC.

MK Party leaders have threatened civil unrest should the party be excluded from the election. That warning raised fears of a repeat of violence that erupted in July 2021, when more than 350 people died after Zuma was arrested for contempt of court.

The ANC is scheduled to hold a media briefing later on Monday afternoon to respond to the Electoral Court’s decision.