The Week That Was: Round One
The first week of election season has come and gone. Flyers have accumulated in classrooms and Facebook feeds have been choked with campaign announcement posts. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of copied and pasted messages have been sent by candidates to everybody on their friends list.
That being said, Pelican is pleased to report that it’s been a largely uneventful week. If you missed the presidential debate, you can watch the replay on Pelican’s Facebook page. Polls open on Monday.
SPARK
The incumbents have had a very active week with notable campus presence and a digital campaign pulling in a large audience. So far, SPARK have focused on highlighting their achievements from the past year and promoted a packed policy agenda. Particularly visible in the past few days was the public dispute with STAR over the factual accuracy of some campaign claims, covered below.
Presidential candidate Indi Creed used the debate to speak about the importance of the Guild working to enable students to achieve their goals.
Check out our interview with the SPARK team.
STAR
No time has been wasted in STAR’s effort to reclaim control of the Guild Council from SPARK. Like rivals SPARK, they’ve run a very active and visible campaign both on-campus and online with wide-ranging policies, as well as running several campaigns on what they believe to be the shortcomings of the current Guild.
Some of these critical claims got them into a bit of trouble as some campaign material included incorrect information about SPARK’s time in office. In the first action of this election season, WAEC Returning Officer Mary Petrou ordered STAR to remove the offending material, which was in digital and print mediums, but stressed to Pelican that no penalty was applied. Some of these claims have been amended and re-published by STAR. Pelican is currently fact-checking both sides of the disagreement.
In the debate Amira Nunn, STAR’s presidential candidate, described her team as a fresh start for the Guild.
Check out out our interview with the STAR team.
RATS
The first week of the RATS campaign hasn’t gone as smoothly as rodent lovers might have wished. Presidential candidate and group agent Jacob Mackenzie unfortunately missed the debate. The group don’t appear active on campus and the campaign’s digital presence has been minimal for the Muroidea-themed party.
In recent news, Adam Elyousef has split from the party. Adam, who is running for the NUS and as an OGC, says the situation is merely a difference of opinion, telling Pelican “I’ve always been strongly outspoken and stood up for what I believe in, and obviously not everyone agrees with a few things. I wish everyone well in their campaign, and hope we have a competitive election free of unfair interference.”
Group agent and presidential candidate Jacob Mackenzie took a slightly different stance, stating “I once saw Adam kick a rat; booted the little guy thirty to forty metres. After that we both agreed our views no longer aligned and that we should part ways.” Pelican understands that at this stage Adam, who most recently stood as STAR’s presidential candidate in 2022, will now contest this election as an independent, becoming the fourth unaffiliated candidate.
Check out our interview with the RATS team.
Left Action
This year, there’s been no departure from Left Action’s previous messaging. Their campaign focuses on outlining a vision for an “activist Guild” which would be more combative with University management and engaged with the wider political landscape. Presidential candidate Finn Penter argued in the debate that without activist left-wing leadership, the Guild is “an apolitical party-planning committee”. Given the state of the rental market, real wages, and cost of living pressures, it’s very possible that Left Action’s messaging resonates with voters this year.
Check out our interview with the Left Action team.
GLOBAL
It’s been a quiet start to the campaign for GLOBAL—which is to be expected. The group’s primary focus is on getting Rishãv Neog elected to the presidency of the International Students’ Department. Their only opponent is Left Action’s Juliana Dewes. Left Action has historically performed poorly when it comes to the ISD presidency while GLOBAL has held the office for several years now without a serious challenge. To lose this year would certainly be a surprise result.
Check out our interview with the GLOBAL team.
Launch
Like GLOBAL, Launch have also had a quiet start to the campaign, albeit with a bit more of an active campaign on campus. Their only office bearer candidate is Cooper Mason, in the crowded race for the presidency of the Education Council. The group’s messaging has largely focused on NUS disaffiliation and now familiar policies such as universal submission times, 24/7 library access, and daily common lunch hours. The cost of the NUS, which they claim is $30,000 per annum has been Launch’s headline. Several other candidates have disputed this figure with Pelican this week. However, the Guild Finance Department has confirmed that annual NUS costs are actually slightly higher, which will be covered in a forthcoming article.
Interview forthcoming.