A by-election to fill the role of President of University College Dublin Students’ Union (UCDSU) has been called. The election is due to take place on November 22nd and 23rd, with nominations of candidates who wish to run closing on November 9th.
Barry Murphy, Campaigns and Communications Officer of UCDSU, is acting President in the interim.
The seat of president was vacated by Katie Ascough after she was impeached by a clear majority in a referendum last Thursday. Nearly 70 per cent of the 6,611 students who voted decided to impeach her from office following three weeks of campaigning.
A decision on who will be president in the interim and what interpretation of the constitution will be taken in relation to the by-election was made today by the union’s Independent Appeals and Disciplinary Board (IADB) and the Returning Officer, Stephan Devine.
Ascough was impeached after she made the executive order to remove abortion information and reprint the union’s Freshers’ guide Winging It. The move was condemned by her fellow sabbatical officers and by students on the pro-choice campus, with many students viewing the decision as undermining the union’s pro-choice mandate and Ascough breaking her promise to delegate all matters relating to abortion.
Last March, Ascough was elected the President of UCDSU with over 35 per cent of first-preference votes out of a total 3,237. Fully open about her views, she promised students more microwaves and to “unlock” the union.
