Gabriel Latner has been disqualified from the election for the Union presidency, after Returning Officers found that he had given an interview to Varsity, in contravention of election rules.

Latner had previously been penalised 40 per cent of his first preference votes for commenting for an article by The Tab.

In a statement, the Union Returning Officers said: "Due to the fact that this is second time that Mr. Latner had been found guilty of such an offence and that, in this case, the article was much more focused on the Candidate’s own quotes, the Returning Officers have resolved to disqualify Mr. Latner from the current election."

Latner's exclusive interview with Varsity appears in full online.

The disqualification presents a unique challenge for the Union, since it comes on the day of the election. The Returning Officers explained in the statement, "As ballot papers have already been printed and the list of candidates has already been circulated for the online elections, Mr. Latner’s second preference votes will be immediately redistributed."

Latner has 24 hours to appeal the decision to disqualify him before the Union's Appeals Panel. If he chooses to appeal, the Union may have to wait before they can count votes and declare a winner, possibly delaying the election results for several days.

The election is currently underway. Union members can vote online or by paper ballot until 8 pm tonight.