With less than a day before voting closes at this year’s Union elections, desperate candidates on all sides have accused each other of electoral malpractice.
In the race for Equity and Inclusion (E&I) Officer, an electoral pact between two candidates, Trans Officer Amanda Ng and Student Trustee Ken Sio, became a political flashpoint that descended into a public spat with the incumbent officer Eda Yildirimkaya, who is also seeking re-election.
The pact was widely seen as an attempt to deny Yildirimkaya a second term in office after Ng attacked the incumbent officer’s record, telling voters in a now-deleted story: “If you’re not satisfied by this year’s E&I, vote for Ken as a second choice so we can see real change.”
The move started a row with Activities and Engagement Officer Ana Boikova, who confronted Ng over text, saying: “Shading your own officer who supported you and your policies is crazy.”
Ng has accused Boikova of intimidation following an in-person altercation at Phineas on Wednesday night when the Officer reportedly said: “How’s campaigning going in my territory?” and “How’s shading Eda going as a campaign strategy?” She has since filed an official complaint with the Union’s returning officer, The Cheese Grater was told.
When asked for comment, Boikova said: “As Eda’s best friend I was unable to stand by and watch Eda get upset and cry about how rude Amanda has been publicly about her”. She went on to accuse Ng and her campaign team of spreading misinformation about Yildirimkaya.
Messages obtained by The Cheese Grater show the Trans Officer telling the Disabled Students’ Network groupchat: “If elected, I promise I’ll actually notice if the two DSOs have dropped out”, in reference to the news that the Union failed to notice for months that its Disability Officers, which fall under Yildirimkaya’s brief, had dropped out of UCL.
Ng’s critique of the incumbent officer was echoed by ex-sabb Ahmad Ismail, who said: “From a former E&I Officer… You need someone with actual lived experience to understand this role, not just someone who pays lip service.” Ismail was Equity Officer in 2023/24 but lost his re-election to Yildirimkaya last year.
When approached for comment, Ng said: “I believe that… policies are more important than the people behind them.” She added: “Due to the way the preferential voting system works, there is no harm in supporting our competitors as a second choice.”
Elsewhere, Ng and Postgraduate Officer Darcy Lan were found to have breached the Union’s election rules after they were spotted campaigning on Chinese social media WeChat without providing an accurate English translation. Both candidates have been sent a written warning for the breach, The Cheese Grater was told.
The public spat follows reports this week that both Ng and Yildirimkaya have had posters ripped down across campus. In a message on the candidate hub, Yildirimkaya said: “Whoever has been ripping off my posters, be ashamed of yourself!”
However, there is currently no evidence to suggest that the posters were removed by either candidate.
The Equity and Inclusion Officer is one of the six sabbatical roles up for grabs at the Union elections. Sabbs are paid £33,000 a year plus holiday and company benefits to improve student life at UCL.
Some 12,000 students have already voted in this year’s Leadership Race, making this election the largest yet, having beaten last year’s record of 11,141 voters.
Voting is open now until midday tomorrow, with results expected from 5pm onwards. Make your voice heard at this election here before polls close.
