Alessio D’Angelo has been elected Union president for Michaelmas term, avoiding a re-run by a margin of 48 votes.

D’Angelo, the serving speakers officer for the Union, won 100 votes in the uncontested race, with 48 members balloting to re-open nominations.

The president-elect pledged to expand the Union’s state school outreach program and “continue the strong work on access memberships” in his manifesto.

The role of president had only one candidate for the third time in a row, with the presidency yet to see a contested election since last year’s ballot rigging scandal.

The roles of debates, speakers, and social events officers were also all won by unopposed candidates. Anoushka Kale, Alex Mitchell, and Penelope Slater will take up these roles on Michaelmas' Standing Committee.

Only the role of equalities officer was contested, in a race that saw Karina Reed defeat Damsith Wimalasena by 36 votes.

The lack of contested elections has led some to show concern for the health of the Union’s democracy. Last week, the Union raised its membership fees from £230 to £300 due to reported “years of bad financial decisions”.

Responding to these issues, D’Angelo told Varsity: “Understandably, the aftershocks of the malpractice of last year are still visible within the wider Cambridge community; we shouldn’t expect people to jump back to the same trust and enthusiasm when one of the University’s most iconic democratic institutions was so flagrantly violated.”

“The Union already has a number of scholarship and access schemes in which generous donors are able to sponsor student’s memberships and I hope that with hard work I’ll be able to increase such schemes and make the union more accessible,” he said.

“Nobody is happy about the raise in the fees, but these changes will hopefully offset more severe ramifications of inflation and the cost of living crisis,” D’Angelo added.