Oxford Union election battle gets nasty (UK)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article3257539.ece

January 27, 2008

Maurice Chittenden

FORGET Hillary and Obama. A schism in the Oxford Union over controversial debates has led to a battle for its presidency that has left the two prime candidates claiming foul play.

There have been accusations of electoral malpractice, abuse of power and sexual harassment. One student last week likened the rift to the Arab-Israeli conflict and proposed a motion that the union – the debating society that launched the political careers of William Hague, Tony Benn and the late Benazir Bhutto – should not exist.

The feuding follows a series of high-profile debates which included an invitation in November to Nick Griffin, leader of the British National party, and David Irving, the right-wing historian, and a vote last week on whether Israel should be allowed to exist.

Krishna Omkar, 23, a sociology student at Merton College, won an election in November to be president of the union for the summer term. He beat Charlotte Fischer, 21, who is studying modern history and politics at Balliol College, by 959 votes to 658.

However, Omkar, the union’s treasurer, was disqualified and banned from standing again by a university tribunal after Fischer complained that he had held an eve-of-poll meeting for 30 people in a hired room, contrary to union rules that prevent electioneering.

Omkar’s supporters claimed that Fischer, the union’s librarian, broke with tradition by bringing in a London barrister to represent her. She expected to be named president by default but a new election was ordered. She walked out of the contest and returned home to Orpington, south London, after claiming union officials sent her bullying messages, including one that said “fancy a f***”.

FULL story at link.