No Contest for Leigh at the Union

David Leigh has taken the top spot at the Union for Easter 2012, in an election that saw many candidates stand uncontested.

Leigh, a second year PPS student at St Catz, won the exam term presidency after standing unopposed.

He told The Tab he was: “extremely proud to have won,” and said that despite slight illness on the day, he would celebrate in full at the Union’s Caribbean Christmas Party this evening.

This year, the elections were largely uneventful, unlike previous contests.

In the run-up to current president Calum Macdonald’s election, various candidates were dogged with accusation of malpractice, and a candidate pulled out just days before the election.

The elections for Easter 2011 were also embroiled in scandal after Gabriel Latner, who was at the time disqualified from Union membership, announced his candidacy before being disqualified for talking to the media.

The closest this term’s elections got to an upset this term was the fact that a third of voters opted to Re-Open Nominations for the presidency. But Leigh, who is currently Union Treasurer, was level-headed about the threat posed by RON.

“I think in any uncontested election there will always be people who vote RON,” he said. “It is a fair comment on the lack of candidates running, but in the case of this election, all the uncontested candidates were extremely strong and members should be confident that the the team will deliver an excellent term of events.”

Keeping tight-lipped about his grand plans for Easter term, he did let slip that a debate on the Olympics is on the cards, “especially as Lord Coe and Tanni Grey-Thompson are honorary members.”

He also confirmed plans to bring more women to the speaker’s platform: “A major focus will be to invite more female speakers (as I realise the Union in the past has been criticised for its lineup being dominated by men).

“We are currently in talks about introducing a women’s officer – which I think would be a fantastic addition to the Union setup.”

The elections for most positions were unopposed this term. Former Press Officer Michael Black nabbed the position of Treasurer-Elect, notorious party-man Juan Zober De Francisco claimed Social Events Officer and Tab columnist Johnathan Zemlik was elected to the supplementary committee.