Embattled South African election head resigns

South Africa’s election boss announced she is stepping down Tuesday following months of controversy after she was implicated in an improper leasing deal.

“I have decided to resign from the Electoral Commission (IEC) and have submitted my letter of resignation to President Zuma,” Pansy Tlakula said in a statement.

South Africa’s public ombudswoman last year found Tlakula failed to disclose her business relationship with an entrepreneur whose company leased buildings to the Commission in 2009.

The deal was reportedly worth $29 million (22 million euros) at present exchange rates.

Tlakula fought for months to keep her job, going against the stated wishes of different political parties and the government’s treasury.

South Africa’s electoral court found she should be removed from her position over the scandal, and the Constitutional Court confirmed the decision last month.

“Her resignation opens the way for the Commission to begin closing a particularly challenging and tumultuous period in the Electoral Commission’s history,” the IEC said in a statement.