Christopher Lorde has been elected president of the Cambridge Union, after defeating opponent Jack Peters by only seven votes.

Lorde, the serving secretary, had stood in the race for the Michaelmas 2025 presidency in Lent but was defeated by Ivan Alexei Ampiah. Lorde has now won the second time around by 117 votes to Peters’ 109.

The president-elect ran on a platform of increased outreach, growing corporate sponsorships, and the delivery of a “termcard with gender parity”.

Lorde told Varsity: “It’s an absolute privilege to be elected as Union President for Lent 2026, and I’m immensely grateful for the support I’ve received. This wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of so, so many people — including everybody from Union regulars to first-time voters who made their way out to the building, even as the sun beat down, to cast their vote.

”I’m looking forward to working with the rest of Lent’s Standing Committee to action our goals of opening the society’s doors and ensuring the Union feels like a space for everybody — and will do my best to ensure we don’t let the people who put their trust in us down… I’d like to also extend my thanks and best wishes to Jack Peters, who has ran a wonderful term as Debates Officer and a formidable campaign. The fact this election was so close is a testament to his resolve and dedication to the Union — a dedication and resolve that will forever be appreciated,” he continued.

Peters posted to his Instagram: “It has been an honour to run this campaign and whilst we came seven votes short, I am proud of the effort we put in. Chris will be an incredible President, I could not have asked for a more magnanimous opponent and I’m sure the whole Lent team will deliver a brilliant term card.”

The race was the third contested presidency since the ballot rigging scandal in 2023, when then-president Max Ghose resigned after being accused of “astonishing acts of electoral malpractice”. This race shared the number of contested races as last year with eight candidates competing for five positions on the Union’s standing committee.

The election for Speakers Officer was the closest race, with two rounds of counting held. In the first count, Joe Hesketh and Freddie Bishop tied at 96 votes, before Hesketh won at 102 votes to Bishop’s 99 in the recount. Meanwhile, in the third contested race, Jaipreet Lully was voted in as Equalities Officer, winning by 113 votes to Haris Khan’s 73.

The other two races were uncontested. Pollyanna Greene-Wright won Debates Officer, while Bernhard Beran will be Social Events Officer. In total, 238 ballots were cast for all roles.