One of the most closely-watched Union presidency races in recent memory took another striking turn this week, when candidate Gabriel Latner was handed a stiff penalty for speaking to the press, in contravention of election rules.

In a defiant move, Latner chose to give another interview. His exclusive comments to Varsity appear online.

Latner was initially penalised by the Union’s Returning Officer 20 per cent of the first-preference votes cast for him, when it was found that he had commented for an article that appeared in the online student news website The Tab.

According to Union’s election rules, candidates are prohibited from any form of written campaigning, including giving interviews to the press.

Latner appealed the decision before the Union’s Appeal Panel and found himself being docked for another 20 per cent, bringing his total penalty to 40 per cent of all first-preference votes case for him.

According to the Appeals Panel, the decision to double Latner’s penalty was based on "the severity of Mr Latner’s offence, the reasonable foreseeability of its impact, and the damage that it has caused to the fairness of this election."

The Appeals Panel consists of Jan-Jonathan Bock, ex-officio Senior Committee Member, Julien Domerq, ex-officio President, and Rahul Manisagni, current CUSU President.

It remains to be seen whether Latner’s interview with Varsity, given on Thursday evening, will result in further penalties being imposed on him.

Reactions to the penalty among the Union’s membership seemed mixed. According to one member, "I support the decision of the Appeals Panel. Latner thought he could have his cake and eat it too, by getting additional publicity, while paying a nominal price in terms of votes."

Another member criticized the Panel’s decision, "40 per cent seems too much. They are basically handicapping him from winning the election. It seems as if it is not so much about election rules, as it is about their previous grievances with him regarding the Israel debate."

Latner gained notoriety earlier this term after being banned from the Cambridge Union for allegedly verbally abusing a guest.

During the debate titled, "This House believes Israel is a rogue state," Latner reportedly told fellow proposition speaker Lauren Booth, "I’m going to nail you to the fucking wall up there." Booth is a journalist and the sister-in-law of former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The comments resulted in current Union President James Counsell taking disciplinary action against Latner, by banning him from the Union.

Since then, Latner’s ban has been overturned and his membership has been reinstated, following his apology to Booth. Booth has reportedly not accepted the apology.

In addition to Latner, two other candidates are running for the position of President: Francesca Hill and Christian Gowers.

Manifestos of all three candidates appear online on the Union’s website. Voting takes place today. All Union members are eligible to vote, either online or in person at the Union .

CANDIDATE PROFILES

Christian Gowers:  Gowers has pledged to improve the quality of speakers, to encourage member involvement in debates, and to appoint a technical committee so that AV, Ents Tech, and the Union website can be run by students on a more "formal basis". Gowers also hopes to start publishing recordings of debates online.

Francesca Hill:  Hill has highlighted her experience as the Union’s Executive Officer and to her record of delivering an on-budget, sell-out Freshers’ Ball. Her ideas include letting students choose the weekly motion, coordinating speakers with exam timetables, and introducing a "buy one get one free" offer on coffee.

Gabriel Latner: Latner’s candidacy is based in a critique of the Union’s current practices. According to him, the Union has "lost it’s way" and the debates have become "stuffy, routine, and all too often, boring." He has made two pledges: a cheaper bar and a president who listens to member concerns and suggestions and acts on them.