The NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has been put forward as one of four candidates for the position of rector at the University of Glasgow.

The rector is a senior student-elected position at the University, and is currently held by former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy. Previous holders of the seat have ranged from Prime Ministers including Disraeli and Asquith to Winnie Mandela and whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu.

Voting for the new rector position will take place in mid-February and will see Snowden compete against three other candidates: Graeme Obree, Alan Bissett and Kelvin Holdsworth. Should Snowden be elected he would be the students’ representative on the University’s governing body.

This comes amid the news earlier this week that Snowden has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He was nominated by two Norwegian MPs who said on Wednesday that the public debate and policy changes “in the wake of Snowden’s whistleblowing [have] contributed to a more stable and peaceful world order.”

It is unlikely that Snowden will be an active rector given his current asylum in Russia and uncertain future. Nevertheless, support for Snowden’s campaign has been gathering on campus and on social media.

The campaign’s basis for nominating Snowden is his status as a whistleblower, providing support for Snowden’s efforts shedding light on mass government surveillance, a cause which the campaign claim they are committed to.
However, Snowden’s candidacy is likely to raise many questions about his appropriateness for such a role. It will also spark further debate on the former NSA technician’s high-profile revelations about the agency’s breaches of privacy.

Snowden’s candidacy is the latest in a series of public support for a man who is currently facing charges of espionage and theft of government property by the US. He was voted second in Times Magazine’s Person of the Year, behind Pope Francis, and this week was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Norwegian MPs Baard Vegard Sohljell and Snorre Valen.

Other members of the student body at Glasgow University have expressed their excitement and enthusiasm at Snowden being put forward as their representative.

Jonathan Tease, a second-year history and theatre student, said that there is “huge support on campus at the moment, which is great.”

When asked about what the NSA revelations meant to him personally, he said: “I think the revelations uncovered by Edward Snowden about the NSA are serious because it makes you wonder what else governments and corporations across the world are hiding.

“I would definitely like to become more knowledgeable about the whole situation, and having Snowden as our rector would probably help that happen.”
Snowden’s nomination by the University of Glasgow’s student body has been seen as both support and recognition for the whistleblower’s causes as well as a form of protest against mass surveillance.

UK government officials have yet to comment on Snowden’s candidacy.