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Oxford Union Ousts President‑Elect George Abaraonye in Landslide No‑Confidence Vote

Members delivered a 70% rejection after a fraught count halted over intimidation claims and disputes over proxy ballots.

Overview

  • The final tally was 1,228 votes for no confidence and 501 against, with 17 void, and the returning officer said the president‑elect is deemed to have resigned subject to procedure.
  • Counting was informally suspended after the extraordinary returning officer reported obstruction, intimidation and unwarranted hostility from representatives, then resumed to reach a result.
  • Verification was complicated by widespread challenges to proxy votes and reports that membership registers from 1961–1980 were missing, with some alumni reportedly turned away.
  • The vote followed leaked messages in which Abaraonye appeared to celebrate Charlie Kirk’s shooting, an incident US authorities described as a political assassination.
  • The Union faces reports of up to £500,000 in frozen donations and numerous speaker withdrawals, and allies of Kirk and Turning Point USA had threatened a boycott unless Abaraonye was removed.