Oxford announces 38 candidates for chancellor, Imran Khan absent

THE UNIVERSITY of Oxford announced on Wednesday that 38 candidates are in contention to become its next chancellor, but Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, is not among them, despite claims from his party that he had applied.

The candidates are aiming to replace Chris Patten, the former governor of Hong Kong, who stepped down in June after serving for 21 years. The ceremonial role has been continuously filled since 1224.

Notable contenders include former Conservative party leader and foreign secretary William Hague, former Labour EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson, and ex-attorney general Dominic Grieve.

Scottish lawyer Elish Angiolini, who led a major inquiry into the murder of Sarah Everard by a London police officer in 2021, hopes to become the first woman in 800 years to hold the post. Angiolini is currently the principal of St Hugh’s College, Oxford.

Another contender from Oxford is Jan Royall, principal of Somerville College, who previously advised Labour leader Neil Kinnock and was leader of the House of Lords.

In August, a spokesman for Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in London said that Khan had “given instructions that he would like to submit his application.” Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been in prison for over a year on charges including corruption and inciting violence, which he claims are politically motivated.

Khan graduated from Oxford in 1975, where he studied philosophy, politics, and economics, before going on to captain Pakistan’s cricket team and later entering politics.

The university said candidates were evaluated based on four exclusion criteria, which include disqualification for not being deemed a "fit and proper person" by the UK tax authority.

The next chancellor will be selected following two rounds of voting, with the winner to be announced in the week of 25 November. The chancellor serves as the university’s titular head, presiding over key ceremonies and taking on advocacy, advisory, and fundraising responsibilities. The new chancellor will serve for a term of no more than 10 years under the university's revised rules.

(With inputs from AFP)