Members of the Oxford Union Society voted against the motion of no confidence in President-Elect George Abaraonye. Of the 1746 ballots, 1288 members expressed no confidence in the President-Elect.
Abaraonye brought the motion of no confidence against himself after the international backlash he faced in September following his comments concerning the shooting of Charlie Kirk.
The motion required a two-thirds majority to pass, and has sparked international media attention with reporting from Sky News and Turning Point UK, a conservative non-profit organisation founded by Charlie Kirk. Prominent political figures, including former Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, descended upon Oxford in order to vote.
Abaraonye has contested the results. A spokesperson told Cherwell: “This poll was compromised from the moment Moosa Harraj and his majority on the Standing Committee brought compromised and untested Poll Regulations.” They cited issues in collecting proxy votes and believe that “we do not know if or how many proxy votes have been tampered with”.
The results have been delayed. Although they were originally expected to be announced on Sunday morning after the vote, the count was suspended early on Monday, with the Extraordinary Returning Officer (ERO) in charge of the process publicly blaming “obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility”.
In response, Abaraonye’s spokesperson told Cherwell: “We equivocally deny that any representative appointed by George engaged in intimidating or disruptive behaviour.”
Cherwell understands that Abaraonye has submitted a complaint to the Union regarding the results. The spokesperson stated: “George Abaraonye is and remains the President-Elect.” Abaraonye’s full comment has been included below.
In an Instagram post, Abaraonye earlier explained that calling the vote of no confidence on himself was “about reclaiming true accountability and reaffirming that the Oxford Union must remain a place where students can make mistakes, apologise sincerely, and learn from them”.
The Union’s standing committee ruled that all members were allowed to vote for the no-confidence motion by proxy, meaning Union members unable to attend the vote could nominate another member to vote on their behalf. Cherwell understands that voting by proxy is normally only permitted under the Equality Act, for reasons such as disability or ill health.
A former member of the Union’s standing committee told Cherwell: “The only time proxy or online voting has been used in the 200-year history of the society was during the pandemic. To suddenly introduce such a rule is at best convenient and at worst evidence of a desire to rig the outcome.”
In response, a Union spokesperson told Cherwell: “Many members had expressed strong interest in the vote but were unable to attend in person due to the short notice period, travel, or accessibility constraints. In such circumstances, allowing proxy voting was not only a matter of fairness but also an equality concern, grounded in the principle that all members should have an equal opportunity to participate in Union democracy.”
The Union’s spokesperson added: “The Governing Body was also mindful of security concerns arising from the widespread controversy surrounding the motion, which had led to heightened tensions, misinformation online, and even threats to the society. Allowing members to cast their votes through proxies provided a safe and orderly mechanism for participation, minimising the risk of confrontation or disruption on the day of polling.”
This week’s Union debate saw disruption as members expressed frustration about the use of proxy votes, with members shouting “let her speak” in the chamber as they demanded the Union’s President, Moosa Harraj, make way for Arwa Elrayess, a member of standing committee, to speak on a motion in favour of removing proxy voting.
On the debate disruption, one Union committee member told Cherwell: “It was a coordinated attempt to subvert democracy and save their friend. It was disgraceful and entirely beneath the standards of this society.”
Abaraonye’s comments about Kirk led some to rescind their offer to speak at the Oxford Union, such as StopAntisemitism Executive Director and co-founder of VC firm Lux Capital Josh Wolfe. James Price, former Conservative Party Chief of Staff, resigned as the honorary secretary of the Oxford Literary Debating & Union Trust (OLDUT) in protest following Abaraonye’s comments. OLDUT is a financial trust that owns the Union buildings and licenses the society’s operations on the premises.
Responding to the backlash in September, Abaraonye told Cherwell: “Last night I received the shocking news about a shooting at Charlie Kirk’s event. In that moment of shock, I reacted impulsively and made comments prior to Charlie being pronounced dead that I quickly deleted upon learning of his passing. Those words did not reflect my values.”
The Oxford Union posted a statement against the threats and racial abuse that the President-Elect faced online. Oxford’s African Caribbean Society also posted a statement condemning “anti-black and anti-migrant rhetoric” towards Abaraonye with Oxford Feminist Society reposting in solidarity.
Another vote of no confidence will take place this week, asking whether the Oxford Union has confidence in President Moosa Harraj. The 150 signatures which are required to trigger a confidence vote were achieved over the weekend. Cherwell understands that the confidence vote in Harraj will take place on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Abaraonye told Cherwell: “This poll was compromised from the moment Moosa Harraj and his majority on the Standing Committee brought compromised and untested Poll Regulations. Donovan Lock who ran the election shared around the Email account collecting proxy votes, including to personnel who campaigned to have George ousted, and who had unsupervised access. We do not know if or how many proxy votes have been tampered with.
“The Union’s Electoral Officials suspended the count because they believed that no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures. We equivocally deny that any representative appointed by George engaged in intimidating or disruptive behaviour. The reason for the suspension was Donovan Lock himself saying “No result is possible” due to unresolved procedural concerns. The official audio recording confirms this, and the representatives for the Yes campaign have confirmed this too. The purported poxy votes do not count – the announcement that George lost the No-Confidence motion is categorically wrong.
“Because of these extremely serious issues, on Monday afternoon before ANY ballots had been counted, the matter was referred to the disciplinary committee by the No Campaign. Under Rule 47(h)(v), this purported result is suspended until that Committee and any Disciplinary Appeals Committee has resolved the complaint.
“George Abaraonye is and remains the President-Elect.
“George is proud and thankful to have the support of well in excess of a majority of students at Oxford, who voted to have a safe election and resist attempts to subvert democracy.”
The Oxford Union has been contacted for comment.
