An election appeal launched by Leo Buckley is set to be heard by an Oxford Union tribunal this term.
On the Union’s Hilary term card, the position of President-Elect is absent from the Hilary Committee page. According to the Union Press Office, the position’s powers and duties are currently devolved upon the President since “disciplinary proceedings related to last term’s election are ongoing.”
This development in the Union elections for Trinity term comes seven weeks after Buckley, found guilty of electoral malpractice, was disqualified from the presidential race. His margin of victory before his disqualification was narrow – he received only a few votes more than #Challenge-slate candidate Julia Maranhao-Wong.
The two sides – one representing Buckley and one representing Maranhao-Wong – will have the opportunity to present their cases before the tribunal. It is unclear exactly what the composition of the tribunal will be, but Union members who have long since graduated might be asked to join to avoid any potential conflict of interest.
Buckley appeared to make oblique reference to the ongoing appeal in a social media post Monday night. His Facebook account showed him standing in front of the Roman Colosseum with the Latin phrase “Sic Semper Tyrannis” displayed in the image’s background. (The phrase means “Thus always to tyrants” and is used in contemporary parlance to say that tyrants will inevitably be overthrown.)
