were not unlawful, contrary to the ruling of the lower court. However, the NPA formally withdrew the charges in the same week that Zuma was inaugurated as national president, citing apparent evidence of prosecutorial misconduct in the so-called spy tapes. Release of Shaik on parole In March 2009, Shaik was controversially released from prison on medical parole, just over two years into his 15-year sentence. Earlier the same week, Zuma had said publicly that as national president he would pardon Shaik on medical grounds, and denied having played any role in Shaik's release. Shaik had applied for a presidential pardon in April 2008 when Mbeki was president, and he continued to lobby for a pardon during Zuma's presidency, saying it was unfair that he had been convicted while neither Zuma nor the implicated arms company had been taken to trial. President of South Africa (2009–2018) The ANC won the national election on 22 April 2009 by a slightly diminished majority of 65.90%, with Zuma having campaigned under the theme "Continuity and Change". His appointment was formalised by Parliament on 6 May, and he was sworn in as president of South Africa on 9 May 2009. Failure to disclose assets As president and therefore a member of cabinet, Zuma was required by the government's ethics code to declare his financial interests within 60 days of taking office. In March 2010, nine months after taking office, South African media reported that he had failed to do so. Opposition parties and the ANC's Tripartite Alliance partner COSATU urged Zuma to disclose his interests, and the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) called for an investigation by the Public Protector. ANC spokesperson Brian Sokutu explained that Zuma constituted a "special case" because of his "large family", which complicated the process. The ANC distanced itself from Sokutu's statement and Zuma filed the disclosure later that week. Domestic policy Radical economic transformation As a former member of the SACP, Zuma has described himself as a socialist and became president with the support of a left-wing coalition. Analysts have claimed that he has bolstered populism in South Africa. From 2017, at the tail-end of his presidency, his rhetoric and policy priorities became more leftist under what is known as the "radical economic transformation" (RET) programme of the ANC of this period. Zuma announced the new focus on RET during his February 2017 State of the Nation address. Later that