Groningen student union GSb and Lijst Calimero are the big winners in this year’s university elections. The victory was met with applause and cheers on Tuesday afternoon.
Lijst Calimero secured six out of a total of twelve student seats on the university council. According to faction leader Ale ten Cate, his party has never been this large before.
This year, Calimero had five seats, as did the Student Organization Groningen (SOG). SOG will drop to four seats next year. De Vrije Student (DVS) retains the two seats it currently holds.
The GSb won three seats out of nowhere in the faculty council of the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences (BSS). The student union, with a storied history in university politics, participated for the first time in ten years and aimed to secure at least one seat in BSS and law. They succeeded spectacularly in BSS, but did not win any seats in law.
‘Historic win’
Ken Hesselink, chairman of the GSb and next year’s council member at BSS, calls the victory historic. ‘There has been no competition between parties at BSS for years, so people didn’t really try. Now that we have won three seats, it will revive. I think we have done the faculty a huge service.’
The lack of success in law and other faculties does not dampen their spirits. ‘It’s a shame about law, but it was expected. That is the most competitive faculty with the number of parties participating.’
This year, four parties competed for the council elections in law. The longstanding parties Progressief Rechten and Ten Behoeve van Rechtenstudenten (TBR) took all the seats, respectively four and five.
Turnout
A total of 24.05 percent of the students voted for the university council. This is slightly higher than last year’s 22.06 percent. It is the second consecutive year that turnout has slightly increased.
At most faculties, the turnout percentage was also a bit higher than last year. The most students voted at University College Groningen (almost 66 percent). The turnout was lowest at the medical faculty, with 18 percent.