Asked whether his jail term could prove a stumbling block on the way to the presidential palace, he said: “[Former South African President Nelson] Mandela was in prison. [Former Venezuelan President] Hugo Chávez was in prison. [Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva] Lula was in prison… And so if my people believe and trust me, I will be their leader. It’s up to my people, no-one else.”