BREAKING: Alijah Taha wins close-fought SU President election following two-month delay

Alijah Taha has been named the winner of Warwick Students’ Union’s (SU) presidential election following the conclusion of a University complaints investigation.

Published on the SU’s Instagram page, the announcement comes 70 days after polls closed on 7 March.

The SU is yet to disclose vote totals but according to one candidate’s campaign manager, VP Postgraduates Taha beat out second-place Louis Gosling by less than 100 votes in a close-fought race.

The election postponement – originally attributed to a “procedural irregularity” – comes as a complaint submitted against a presidential candidate was referred to the University’s disciplinary panel.

Responding to his victory, Taha told The Boar: “Firstly, a heartfelt thank you to my incredible campaign team – your dedication made this victory possible. And to the other candidates, commiserations – you should be truly proud of yourself and your campaigns.”

I’ve been tested, but not defeated – not while your support stood beside me

Alijah Taha, Warwick SU President-elect

He continued: “This victory was never about me. It belongs to the students who never stopped believing – the ones who showed up, spoke out, and stood tall. You carried me when I was at my lowest. Your trust, your courage – that’s what won. I don’t see this as a personal win, but as a reflection of the belief you placed in something bigger than all of us.

“I’ve been tested, but not defeated – not while your support stood beside me. I’ve learned that students, when united, are unstoppable. Together, we’ll face down fear, and place power where it truly belongs: in the hands of our students.”

Taha concluded: “You gave your trust freely, and I will honour it fiercely. In every decision I take, know this – I stand with you, and when the moment demands it, I’ll stand in front of you. This is your mandate, and your moment. Congratulations – not to me, but to all of you.”

We acknowledge that waiting for this result to be announced has had a regrettable impact on all the candidates

Warwick Students’ Union

In a statement on Instagram, the Students’ Union offered: “We know our members will want to understand why it has taken so long for us to announce this result. Complaints about a candidate were received by the SU during voting week, which we had to investigate in line with our standard election processes. In the course of investigating the complaints, there was concern that some of the alleged actions amounted to a breach of University guidelines, so details were passed onto them for consideration.

“There was then a period while the University conducted their investigation – this has now been concluded, and the potential breach was not proven. We acknowledge that waiting for this result to be announced has had a regrettable impact on all the candidates, and we appreciate their patience and understanding while the process ran its course.”

In concluding, the statement emphasised: “As with all our elections, this result is provisional until it is ratified by the NUS.”