Turkish Court Rejects Bid by Erdogan Rival to Overcome Block to Presidential Run

A Turkish court rejected on Friday a lawsuit from jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu challenging the cancellation of his university degree, his legal team said, in a further blow to his plans to run for the presidency in the next election.



Imamoglu, who is President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, has been in jail since last March, pending trial on corruption charges. He received a separate prison sentence in July for insulting and threatening the city’s chief prosecutor.



Without a university degree, Imamoglu cannot stand as a candidate for president. His legal team told Reuters that he would appeal against Friday's court ruling.



His jailing has been criticised by Imamoglu's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), other opposition parties, some Western leaders and rights groups as an anti-democratic move aimed at eliminating an electoral threat to Erdogan.