Sabbatical vote to be re-run

THE fallout from DCU's disastrous sabbatical elections continued last week. After a student council meeting on Monday, it was decided that full elections should be held again early next month.

Last month the entire incoming executive resigned amid questions that had raised over the nominations process for the sabbatical elections.

The eight officers were all elected by plebiscite after only one nomination was received for each position, but the elections were subsequently appealed on constitutional grounds, with the complainants citing the inadequate publicising of nominations for the election.

At least one possible candidate was discouraged from running for the presidency in those elections by early indications that current SU president Ciaran Duffy and former president Colin Cunningham might run again for the position.

When their candidacy did not materialise, the field was effectively left clear for the eventual winner - and sole presidential candidate - Nigel O'Flaherty, currently Duffy's deputy president.

In next month's election, scheduled for May 1st and 2nd, three of the eight positions will be contested and there are five candidates for the presidency: Nigel O'Flaherty; DCU SU welfare officers Ciara Fitzpatrick and Garrett Weldon, Alan Lawlor and Cormac O Lalmhain.

Last week's council meetings does not appear to have been a particularly happy affair. At it questions were also asked about the direction of the DCU vote at the recent USI Congress, at which DCU delegates voted for Colman Byrne in the presidential elections, despite arguments from some quarters that the delegates had no mandate to vote in this way.

The DCU vote had split between the two presidential candidates, Byrne and Bob Jordan, at an inquorate council meeting prior to Congress. At the time of writing, a discussion on USI Congress had been scheduled for council lasts night.