Months after being elected as president of the Cambridge Union for Michaelmas 2023, Max Ghose has resigned following allegations of rigging the ballot. An investigation carried out found “a number of irregularities” in the Easter 2023 election.
Ghose had been accused of “stuffing ballots” to get a friend installed as his successor. According to a statement released by the Union, Charlier Palmer, the vice president, will serve as the president for Michaelmas 2023 in Ghose’s place.
Rigging the elections
The investigation into the issue was prompted by James Hardy, the deputy returning officer for the vote who wrote a letter to the review committee accusing Ghose, an Old Etonian, of one of “the most astonishing acts of electoral malpractice I have seen”.
Reports state that when polls closed around 6 pm on Wednesday last week, Ghose, who was acting as chief returning officer for the vote, allegedly accessed the spreadsheet on which votes were stored.
The results were to be announced on Friday but after allegations of voter fraud appeared, the Union released a statement confirming the delay in the publication of the final outcome. It cited a “potential irregularity in the electoral process” as the reason for the delay.
Ghose’s election victory
In March, Ghose defeated David Eagleson with the poll plank of a “better and bolder union” in a landslide victory.
“I’m delighted to have had such overwhelming support from the members. I’ve been given a mandate to deliver and I will do exactly that,” said Ghose after the result.
Prior to his accession to the presidential post, Ghose was serving as the Union’s debates officer and vice-chair of the Cambridge University Liberal Association.
Notably, this is not the first time allegations of corruption and ballot rigging have emerged in Cambridge Union elections. Last year’s election also had allegations of electoral irregularities and the appointment process of Returning Officers was found to be “procedurally irregular”.
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What next?
The race for the president post this term was between Ellie Breeze and Nick Davis, who have previously served on the committees of the University’s Conservative (CUCA) and Labour (CULC) societies respectively. However, after the irregularities, the election, for positions serving Lent 2024 will be launched next term. Applications for an interim vice president to replace Charlie Palmer will open soon.
(With inputs from agencies)
