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A vote of no confidence against the incoming oxford union President George Abaroni has died, the organization confirmed on Tuesday morning. Despite claims that the vote was compromised, the motion achieved the required two-thirds majority.
However, in a statement, Mr Abaraouni said the vote had been “compromised” due to “unexpected” rules, and he alleged that people campaigning for his removal had “unsecured access” to the email account collecting proxy votes.
A notice published by extraordinary returning officer Donovan Locke said 1,228 votes were cast in favor of no-confidence, while 501 were cast against it.
The notice states that the President-elect is deemed to have resigned in accordance with the rules of the Oxford Union, although it also states that if allegations or complaints are filed, the outcome will remain pending their determination.
A notice said the proceedings were informally suspended early Monday after the returning officer allegedly faced “obstruction, intimidation and undue hostility by several representatives”.
Mr Abaroni’s statement claimed that the count was suspended because election officials believed that “no valid and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures”.
It added: “We categorically deny that any representative appointed by George engaged in bullying or disruptive behaviour.”
The statement posted on Tuesday morning said the matter was referred to the disciplinary committee on Monday afternoon, and that Mr Abaroni is still the elected president.
Thousands of members were eligible to take part in the no-confidence vote, which was open to in-person voting between 10am and 8pm on Saturday, with members also able to submit votes by proxy.
Mr Abaroni faced controversy after becoming president-elect of the historic debating society in a vote earlier this year charlie kirk He was shot dead at a Utah Valley University event in September in what U.S. authorities called a political assassination.
Mr Kirk, 31, a father of two, was a Donald Trump ally and co-founder and chief executive of the right-wing youth organization Turning Point USA.
The Times reported that in a message to fellow students in a WhatsApp chat, Mr Abaraouni wrote, “Charlie Kirk was shot, let’s fuck off”, while another message on his Instagram account read: “Charlie Kirk was shot.”
In a statement last month, the Oxford Union condemned his comments and said complaints filed against Mr Abaroni had been referred for disciplinary proceedings.
In an Instagram post that is no longer public, Mr Abraoni said he had “submitted a motion of confidence in himself in an effort to reclaim true accountability and (re)affirm that Oxford Union must remain a place where students can make mistakes, apologize sincerely and learn from them”.
Posting on social media last week, Oxford Stand Up to Racism said Mr Abaraouni had since faced racist abuse online.
An Oxford Union statement in September condemned the racial abuse and threats faced by Mr Abaraouni.