Max Ghose has been elected president of the Cambridge Union for Michaelmas 2023 in a landslide against the former Union vice-president, David Eagleson.

Ghose, an Old Etonian who is currently serving as the Union’s debates officer and vice-chair of the Cambridge University Liberal Association, won the presidency in the first round of voting.

Ghose ran on a platform of a “better and bolder union”, including promises to develop a new phone app for the Union , funding new access memberships, and doubling the equalities budget.

Ghose defeated David Eagleson, who recently resigned as Union vice-president. In his resignation letter, Eagleson said he “cannot condone an environment in which deceit, backroom-dealing and rumour-spreading prevail at the expense of the delivery of high quality events”. In his campaign, Eagleson criticised “petty committee politics getting in the way of committee members fully serving what it is that members want to see” and had promised to create a “fairer, more open, and more transparent union”.

The results came amid revelations that a secret Union panel investigating claims of ballot tampering during the appointment of Lent term returning officers found “procedural irregularities”.

Speaking to Varsity, Ghose said “I’m delighted to have had such overwhelming support from the members. I’ve been given a mandate to deliver and I will do exactly that”.

Other victorious candidates included: Jasper Ostle for debates officer, Shibhangi Ghose for speakers officer, Matthew Haskett for social events officer, and Neha Pauly for equalities officer.