Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu had expected to become Turkey’s opposition presidential nominee on March 23, 2025; instead, he lost his freedom and college degree.
On March 18, the politician – seen as a powerful rival to long-ruling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – saw his bachelor’s degree revoked by Istanbul University. A day later, Imamoglu was arrested along with staff members and a district mayor of Istanbul.
