Announcement of SU President election results suspended indefinitely

The spring term will end without a President-elect for Warwick Students’ Union (SU) after the organisation suspended announcement of results for the contest indefinitely.

The outcome for the race has been unknown since all other results were announced on 7 March. Citing a “procedural irregularity”, the SU delayed declaring a winner for the contest, and said it aimed to resolve the situation within the next week.

A spokesperson has since confirmed to The Boar that no result will be announced this week, leaving the student community without a President-elect as it enters the spring holidays.

We recognise that this delay is not ideal […] However, we must balance this with running a free and fair election process

Warwick SU spokesperson

The spokesperson said: “Whilst we had hoped to resolve the matter this week, we regret to inform you that we are not yet in a position to confirm the result.

“We recognise that this delay is not ideal and appreciate that our membership is keen for clarity. However, we must balance this with running a free and fair election process, which has to remain our number one priority.”

The Union affirmed its intent to provide further updates “as soon as we are able to”, though gave no specific date. The same statement was subsequently posted to Instagram, with comments turned off.

Such a suspension of results has no obvious precedent in Warwick SU history. A previous controversy in 2021, when Charlton Sayer’s election as Welfare and Campaigns Officer was declared “null and void” before being reinstated 20 days later, still saw results counted and announced on election night itself.

Emails seen by The Boar confirm that the Adjudication Panel, who handle election complaints, have not been asked to meet this week

The Union has remained strictly tight-lipped as to the nature of the “procedural irregularity”, with both students and the presidential candidates themselves left in the dark.

Emails seen by The Boar do confirm, however, that the Adjudication Panel, who handle election complaints, have not been asked to meet this week.

Harry Curtis, a first-year and one of the candidates for SU President, told The Boar that the four contenders “have no idea what is going on”.

He added that, “Delaying elections is not in the best interests of anybody,” but called on students to “have faith that the SU are working hard to solve this issue”.

“I hope the SU learns from this and is more transparent with students going forward,” he concluded.

Alijah Taha, another presidential candidate and the current Vice President for Postgraduates, said: “It is very stressful to see the results delayed again and I am sure my fellow candidates feel similarly.

“I hope the vote count is released as soon as possible to reduce the uncertainty for students and candidates involved.”

Students deserve to know who their next President will be, rather than being kept in the dark by an SU cover-up on spurious grounds

Concerned student

Other students The Boar spoke to were far punchier in their rhetoric. One involved with the elections inveighed: “The SU’s promises of transparency and accountability ring hollow.

“Students deserve to know who their next President will be, rather than being kept in the dark by an SU cover-up on spurious grounds.”

Another student familiar with SU processes argued: “The SU talks a big game on democracy, but its actions bring into question whether it is trying to hide how students voted.”

They claimed that the Union, by postponing the results indefinitely, was breaking its own election bylaws. Article 711 of Bye-law 7 states that election counts should be held “as soon as practically possible after the close of voting”.

With no new deadline given for an announcement, it is unclear how long the results of the presidential election will remain pending. Enaya Nihal, the current SU President, will remain in post until the end of July.