Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), addresses his supporters from the top of a bus after giving testimony to judicial authorities at the Justice Palace, known as Caglayan Courthouse, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
- Opposition says move politically motivated
- Presidential candidates must have university degree
- Turkey has seen crackdown on opposition
ISTANBUL, March 18 (Reuters) – Istanbul University said on Tuesday it had annulled the degree of President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival over irregularities, dealing a blow to the opposition days before it was set to pick him as its presidential candidate in the next election.
Without a university degree, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) cannot stand as a candidate for president. He said the university’s decision was illegal and outside its jurisdiction, and that he would launch a legal challenge.
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“We will take this illegitimate decision to court and fight it,” he said, but added “I have no faith that fair decisions will come out,” citing political pressure on the judiciary.
“I will not give up, I will not get tired. Ekrem is not the subject of this action anymore, the entire nation is, everything people have earned and achieved is in danger,” he added.
Erdogan’s government denies political pressure on the courts and says the judiciary is independent.
The move comes amid a widening legal crackdown on opposition figures, particularly Imamoglu. It follows numerous indictments against the mayor and the appointment of several government trustees to opposition-held municipal positions.
“This is another turning point in Turkey’s democratic
27 Comments
anticensor
This is not only revoking his diploma, but establishing a very dangerous precedent in Turkey: "all rights are temporary and can be revoked on a whim"
Bostonian
I doubt the university did this for non-political reasons, and requiring a university degree to hold office is a bad idea anyway.
aiono
I am from Turkey and this really concerns me. If we don't protest this in the streets and fight back I am afraid we don't have any kind of law anymore.
ginko
Wasn't aware that a university degree is a requirement to run for president in Turkey. I'm not aware of any other country that does that.
edit: Wikipedia actually has a list[1]. Did you know you need to have a bank account to be eligible to become president of France?
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidential_qualifica…
walrus01
For a quick reference to anti-freedom-of-the-press and Internet censorship under Erdogan in Turkey, recently:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_Turkey
bigmattystyles
What was his degree in? The article doesn’t say.
starfezzy
Why did they annul it? I'm assuming they gave a reason, not sure if that's a reasonable assumption.
echoangle
Wow, you have to have a university degree to run for election as president? That’s a wild law.
g8oz
Erdogan has turned the country into an electoral autocracy. The Swedish Varieties of Democracy centre released its annual report analyzing the state of democracies around the world as of the end of 2024. America is still listed as a liberal democracy. It's an open question whether it still will be by the end of next year.
https://www.v-dem.net
throw3849490
Banning oposition over irregularities, is perfectly normal in mature democracy! It is a sign that democratic process works, and can heal itself! Ancient Athens have ostracism.
overfeed
In other, recent, non-related news, Columbia University revoked the diplomas of some pro-Palestine protestors[1]. The CBS headline buries the lede, but revoking diplomas is not too low for American universities.
1. https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/columbia-university-pro…
otikik
That sounds so corrupt.
amadeuspagel
The really interesting news here is that in Turkey you need a degree to run for president.
throwaway3485t8
To add insult to injury, it could be the case
that Erdogan's degree is fake [1]
(I don't know of a single Turkish person NOT voting for him that thinks that
his degree is authentic)
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recep_Tayyip_Erdo%C4%9Fan_univ…
seydor
he has 2 years to get another degree
motohagiography
maybe they failed to take the requisite social media training to maintain it?
TrackerFF
Equally shitty is the fact that 27 other people probably got their degrees annulled, just as a cover your ass measure from the unis side.
exabrial
Erdogan worries me as a NATO partner. They're incredibly important geopolitically.
The rule of law appears to be disappearing, and its turning into a Lukashenko/Putin situation.
pmags
The Trump administration is similarly trying to purge / stifle academic institutions and bend them to their uses.
For example, the Trump administration has told Columbia to dissolve specific academic departments. See this earlier discussion:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43358925
The US and Turkish governments are operating under the same authoritarian rules of engagement, it's just that the Turks are further along the trajectory.
IncreasePosts
Well, can't some university just award him a degree?
ozgung
Note that two of the other popular opposition parties’ leaders are in the prison right now. Imamoglu is the candidate for the main opposition party (CHP, Social Democrats) and is leading in the polls. There are multiple investigations for Imamoglu as well. So imprisonment or a political ban is still on the table. This was just a low-key attempt to disqualify him without further ado.
Sabinus
Just like how Putin had two actual opposition Presidential candidates ruled ineligible due to 'irregularities' with their applications.
LorenDB
https://archive.ph/Y81Z1
johnea
[flagged]
realist31415
East and West, No matter what you call this platform or forum, the vast majority of users are from America and Europe. The East is often viewed from an Orientalist perspective in the eyes of the West. However, when it comes to Turkey, it resembles neither the East nor the West. Our electoral system is not like that of the East. There is no fraud or any other kind of manipulation. However, on the road to elections, anything goes. Laws are enacted, changed, or amended as needed. This is the electoral process. But while the elected officials are chosen by the people, the candidates who make it to the election stage undergo intense training and a series of specific events behind the scenes.
Now, if you look at this matter with straightforward logic, you see that Erdoğan unfairly invalidated İmamoğlu’s diploma and that this is against the law. However, I can only explain the reality of the situation as follows: For nearly 20 years, newspapers, the media, news channels, and even certain famous figures have speculated about Erdoğan’s missing diploma. Whether Erdoğan has a university diploma or not remains uncertain. This is something the left in Turkey has always known but often mocked.
I want to emphasize this: The left in Turkey is ineffective because you cannot change the paradigms inherited from the past. Now, the discussion revolves around İmamoğlu’s diploma. But why? Because, quite simply, those who once criticized Erdoğan for allegedly not having a diploma have now been given a president without a diploma in return.
Was this action illegal? Absolutely not. But is justice in the country applied equally to everyone? Of course not. Do not perceive me as right-wing, left-wing, or an Erdoğan supporter. I am analyzing the situation from a historical perspective.
As for the invalidation of the diploma, if there is an absolutely void and legally null action, how can “acquired rights” (müktesep hak) be established? In the case of an “obvious mistake” the decision can always be reversed. Therefore, the diploma is invalid. Even if most Turks here do not accept this, states operate collectively, and only those chosen by the game masters(USA) remain in play. İmamoğlu is neither one of those people nor even on the bench. That is why, even if he won admission to the university, unfortunately, he has no real chance of being elected.
reramuyc
[dead]
throwaind29k
The more fundamental question is why a degree should be necessary to run for President. US does not require one for example.