Students’ Union Election 2025 Results

On March 6, the results for the Students’ Union (SU) elections were announced at Dewey’s. According to the Elections Office, there was an 18.2 per cent voter turnout with a total of 6,523 votes. This was an increase of 1.3 per cent from the 2024 election. 

Gary Godinho, the chief returning officer (CRO), stated that the faculty of science led with 1,814 student votes, followed by the faculty of engineering with 1,154 student votes. 

Almeida elected SU president with 54 per cent of votes over three rounds 

Pedro Almeida, a fifth-year immunology and infection student and 2023–24 vice-president (academic) (VPA), was elected as the next SU president. In the third round of voting, Almeida received 54 per cent of the votes. 

“The [other candidates] all ran incredible campaigns and brought a lot of good ideas about how we can address issues for the student body,” he said. 

As president, Almeida said that his next steps are to meet with the outgoing SU team as well as the incoming team and “foster those relationships.” 

Sophie Martel, a third-year criminology student and current president of the Indigenous Students’ Union (ISU), came in second with 28 per cent of votes in the third round. 

“I’m really proud of myself and I’m so proud of all the other candidates,” Martel said. “I think that it was a really good race and I only have good things to say about this year.” 

Martel stated that she is going to “finish out [her] ISU presidency” and continue to work hard at all of their safety initiatives. 

“I’m going to think about running for council. They can’t get rid of me that fast,” she said. 

Joseph Sesek, a second-year psychology student, came in third with 18 per cent of votes in the third round. 

Sesek said that he hopes “everybody involved is okay with how things turned out.” 

“I’m glad that the presidential candidate that won is a really sweet and genuine guy and I’m glad he’s representing the students at U of A,” he said. 

In terms of next steps, Sesek said that he is “not sure yet,” but to “stay tuned.” 

Ofure Eigbe was not available for comment. 

— Peris Jones, with files from Brooklyn Hollinger

Abbasi re-elected as vice-president (external) with 56 per cent of votes

Abdul Abbasi, a fourth-year law, crime, and justice studies student, was re-elected as vice-president (external) (VPX).

Abbasi won the race with 56 per cent of the votes in the third round of voting. Juan Munoz, a second-year business student, received 44 per cent of the votes. Nate Goetz was not included in the third round of voting. 

“It was a really exciting race and Juan and Nate both did a great job,” Abbasi said.

“Being an incumbent allows me to start those [next steps] early so I will start working on my new goals starting tomorrow,” Abbasi added.

Goetz said it was “a really good race” and he was glad he was able to “present really good ideas and engage with a lot of students.”

“I’m really happy for Abdul,” Goetz said. “I know that he’s going to continue doing a great job as VPX.

Munoz was not available for comment.

— Kathryn Johnson

Thiessen elected as vice-president (operations and finance) with 59 per cent of votes

Nathan Thiessen, a third-year political science (honours) student and current arts councillor on Students’ Council, was elected as the next vice-president (operations and finance) (VPOF) with 59 per cent after the third round of voting.

He said that he has “big shoes to fill” when it comes to the previous VPOF Levi Flaman’s “dedication and experience.”

“I’m completely grateful and look forward to serving students. Life is not a goblet to be drained, but a measure to be filled,” Thiessen said. 

Flaman came in second with 41 per cent. 

“I obviously [am] disappointed. [It’s] not the result I was hoping for, but to be honest, the result I was kind of expecting. I decided to re-run again at the very last minute. I’m still dealing with the death of my father in January and dealing with affairs of the estate and what-not,” Flaman said. 

Flaman wished Thiessen well, and said he was “undecided” if he will continue with his current after-degree, but cited potentially doing a master’s of business administration (MBA) in Japan. 

Ryley Bazinet was not included in the third round of voting. 

Bazinet congratulated the candidates who won. He said he plans to “finish [his] degree and be a student again.”

— Brooklyn Hollinger, with files from Kathryn Johnson and Dylana Twittey

Katie Tamsett elected vice-president (academic) with 54 per cent of votes

Katie Tamsett, a fifth-year human ecology student and current agricultural, life, and environmental sciences (ALES) councillor on Students’ Council, won the vice-president (academic) (VPA) position after three rounds of voting with 54 per cent of the votes. Aamir Mohamed received 46 per cent of the votes in the third round of voting. Manyu Rathour was not included in the third round of voting.

Tamsett said that she feels very honoured. As VPA, she said that she plans to “[build] all of the foundations that I’ve already started to build, really [strengthen] the relationships I already have, and [push] for the student voice, especially in terms of quality of education. The system needs to grow and it’s the same with menstrual accommodations because it matters.”

Mohamed said that “it is surprising to say the least, I thought I had a good run. Regardless, [Tamsett] has won, so I will wish her the best of luck and hope it is an incredible year next year.” 

In regards to what’s next, Mohamed said that he is waiting on a research opportunity and will be “taking a break from governance,” but will “potentially be back.”

Rathour said that he plans to run for an executive position again in the 2026 SU elections. Right now he plans to be a resident assistant (RA). He noted that he will finish his term as a science councillor on the General Faculties Council (GFC). 

— Liam Hodder

West elected vice-president (student life) with 62 per cent of votes

Logan West, a fifth-year student in women and gender studies, was elected to be the new vice-president (student life) (VPSL) with 62 per cent of the vote in the fourth round. 

In an interview with The Gateway, West thanked her parents, friends, campaign managers, and dedicated her win to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

“I want to dedicate this to the survivors on our campus. I see them, I hear them, and I’m one of them. I promise to be the change that we need to see and thank you to all the voters for voting and showing up for me,” West said. 

As for her next steps, West said she will be “apologizing to all [her] professors.” She also stated she plans on “getting a full night’s sleep for the first time in a month.”

Ramish Raza, a fourth-year political science student, came in second and received 38 per cent of the votes. 

Raza said he “respects the decision of the folks. It was a good race and I think [West] has good points.” He commented that his biggest disagreement with West was that “she was centered towards one issue,” but said he believes “she will do great as VPSL” and that he congratulates her. 

As for his next steps, Raza said he plans to focus on graduating and has “law school to look forward to.”

Nikka Pakhomova, a first-year astrophysics student, said she “just want[s] to congratulate all the candidates that won.”

“It was a really good experience as a first-year for me. I learned a lot from this campaign, and just congratulations to everybody,” Pakhomova said. 

As for her future plans, Pakhomova said she plans on studying and working on her astrophysics degree. 

Saim Khokhar, a fourth-year student in combined sciences and education, said he thinks “the candidates who won definitely deserve their position.”

“They’re very involved. They learned from their mistakes from last year, and I hope them all the best,” Khokhar said. 

He stated that he feels “the voters voted for who they believe is the best fit” and that he has “no complaints.”

As for his future plans, Khokhar said he doesn’t know yet. However, “some people are encouraging [him] to run for Students’ Council.” 

“I think I might try to get involved in some other student groups, I don’t know which ones. I want to dedicate some time to exploring. I’m just glad that I got a chance to see the campus, [and] get an idea of what [are] some of the things that are available to me,” Khokhar said. 

— Gabriella Menezes, with files from Peris Jones and Dylana Twittey

Banerji elected as BoG representative with 63 per cent of votes

After two rounds of voting, Karina Banerji, a third-year biological sciences and economics student, was elected as the next Board of Governors (BoG) representative with 63 per cent of the votes.

“It was a really wonderful process to go through. It was really nice to engage the community, see different parts of campus, and explore different campuses like Augustana and CSJ (Campus Saint Jean),” Banerji said.

She added that “it was lovely” to work alongside Angelina Raina, the other candidate for the BoG representative race. Banerji said she learned about Raina’s experience with council and about her perspectives. 

“I’d really encourage anyone to really pursue their dreams when it comes to getting more involved at the university,” Banerji said.

In terms of next steps, Banerji said she will study for her midterms but is “excited” to start talking to Adrien Lam, the current BoG representative, as well as different SU executives to learn more about their projects. 

Raina said that she would have “loved the opportunity, but it’s [a] great BoG [representative] either way.”

For her next steps she said she’ll keep up with the SU and stay connected.

— Lale Fassone, with files from Kathryn Johnson

I-House referendum passes

Godinho did not declare the results for the International House Committee Council (IHCC) referendum. As a result, The Gateway was unable to ask for comment. According to the SU’s Instagram, the referendum passed.

— Lale Fassone

FAUnA FAMF passes

Godinho did not declare the results for the Faculty Association for Undergraduate Students in ALES (FAUnA) Faculty Association Membership Fee (FAMF). The Gateway was unable to ask for comment. According to the SU’s Instagram, the referendum passed.

— Lale Fassone

Period Equity Initiative referendum passes with 87 per cent of votes

The Period Equity Initiative referendum presented by Club Periodically passed with 87 per cent of the votes. The referendum would have all undergraduate students paying an op-outable $1 fee for an increase in access to menstrual products across campuses.

“It’s been really heartening to see how the university community has come together to support period equity,” Tracy Cui, president of Club Periodically, said.

She added that access to menstrual products is “not a luxury, it’s a necessity.”

Aidan Ly, vice-president of Club Periodically, said that Renson Alva, current VPSL, worked closely with Club Periodically throughout the campaign. Cui thanked their campaign manager Lauren Ross for “spearheading” the 5,900 signature collection. 

Their next steps are implementation, meeting with future committee members, and consulting with different councils.

— Lale Fassone

SSCBA no-side plebiscite fails with 47 per cent votes against

The Single Source Cold Beverage Agreement (SSCBA) plebiscite passed with 53 per cent votes. Bassam Dakhel was campaigning for the no-side, which lost. 

“I think there was a lot of confusion with the campaign. Some people thought they were supposed to vote yes when they were supposed to vote no, and the phrasing [of the] question was a bit confusing,” Dakhel said.

Dakhel said that the campaign showed that “students are pretty split.” 

“I’m happy that we were able to use this time to communicate to people the harms of the SSCBA, even if the vote didn’t go in our favour.”

In terms of next steps, Dakhel said he will pursue advocacy to the SU and stay in communication with the next executive team. 

“I think a lot of the incoming execs did endorse the no-side, or at least they did agree [to] look into the ethics of it.”

— Lale Fassone

UPass referendum passes with 82 per cent of votes

The UPass referendum for a semesterly fee of $182, with a gradual increase to $185 by 2026, passed with 82 per cent of votes. 

“We know that public transit is so valuable to the students of this campus and just to the campus itself, we wouldn’t have the U of A that we have today without the access that public transportation provides us,” Daniel Witte, who represented the yes-side of the referendum, said.

The passing of this referendum enables the discount to go into place for all students at the U of A.

— Lale Fassone