The founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former Prime Minister Imran Khan is setting his sights on becoming the next Chancellor of Oxford University. The election, in which the university’s graduates and staff will cast their votes, is scheduled for later this year.
Syed Zulfi Bukhari, a close associate of Khan, confirmed that Khan’s application for the October election, which will select a successor to Chris Patten, the former Conservative minister, has been submitted.
For centuries, elections for the Oxford chancellorship, a role that is largely ceremonial, required graduates and staff to be physically present in Oxford and dressed in academic attire to cast their votes.
However, new rules have now made it possible for nominations and voting to be conducted online, easing the process for Khan’s candidacy.
Beyond his political career, Khan’s credentials include serving as Chancellor of the University of Bradford for eight years and his academic background in politics, philosophy, and economics at Keble College, Oxford, in the 1970s. During his time at Oxford, he also earned accolades as a member of the university’s cricket team and later led Pakistan’s men’s cricket team to victory in the 1992 World Cup.
Here is the exclusion criteria as per the University’s council regulations of 2002:
The exclusion criteria for the role of Chancellor shall be as follows, with all applying from the point of taking up the post:
(a) the Chancellor cannot be a student of the University;
(b) the Chancellor cannot be an employee of the University;
(c) the Chancellor cannot be a serving member of, or a declared candidate for election to, an elected legislature;
(d) the Chancellor must not be disqualified from being a charity trustee by virtue of section 178 of the Charities Act 2011 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that provision) or subject to a disqualification order made by the Charity Commission and must be a “fit and proper person” as determined by guidance published from time to time by His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs.
Nominations for candidates officially closed on Sunday.
However, the university has stated that no individual candidates will be confirmed until a final list is published in early October.
Voting
As per the rule 11 of the abovementioned election regulations, if more than one candidate is eligible to progress to the next stage of the election process, an election by Convocation shall be held as follows:
(a) Voting shall be online.
(b) The electoral system shall be recommended by the committee to Council and published prior to the application process commencing.
(c) The Vice-Chancellor and Proctors shall decide on the validity of any vote which, in the opinion of the Registrar, is in doubt.
(d) The result of the election shall be published in the University Gazette.
