According to The Times, the President of the Cambridge Union resigned within a week of allegations emerging about vote manipulation to secure the appointment of a friend as his successor. Max Ghose stepped down following an internal inquiry conducted by the union, which uncovered several irregularities during the election process for officers for the 2024 Lent term.
The investigation was initiated after James Hardy, the deputy returning officer for the vote, reported an incident of electoral misconduct by Ghose, who is an alumnus of Old Eton College. The report described the misconduct as one of the most shocking instances of electoral malpractice witnessed by Hardy. Hardy disclosed that Ghose was the last person with access to the box containing the votes.
Ghose served as the chief returning officer for the vote and is alleged to have accessed the spreadsheet containing the votes after the polls had closed. Screenshots extracted from the spreadsheet revealed that modifications were made to the document between 6:15 pm and 6:30 pm under a profile attributed to 'Maximilian Ghose.' These alterations included the addition of several membership numbers, some of which belonged to individuals who had already left the university in the previous year.
The purpose of the spreadsheet was to verify the participants in the physical ballot and ensure their alignment with the recorded data. After conducting an inquiry, the union has decided to postpone the next president's election until the following year. Consequently, following the findings of the inquiry, Max Ghose, who was elected in March and assumed the position in June, has tendered his resignation.
Ghose, a second-year student studying politics and international relations, campaigned on initiatives such as enhancing the equalities budget and creating a union app during his tenure. In the interim, the responsibilities of the president will be taken up by the vice president. Originally, he was expected to serve until November.
