Current Ethnic Minorities Officer Hamza Bana has been elected Welfare and Equality officer for the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) with 1,336 first-preference votes, 61% of the total.
With 2,190 votes cast, opponent Hannah McAuley received 746 votes (34%), while 108 votes were cast to reopen nominations (RON). 223 votes were spoiled.
Bana was previously also running against third year geography and sociology student Nathan Harrington until he was struck off the ballot this morning. Votes cast for him before he was eliminated automatically went to his second preference votes.
Speaking to Trinity News after the announcement, Bana thanked Zoe Marie Whelan “for being the best campaign manager in fucking world”. He also thanked his “friends and family”.
“Thank my campaign team for carrying me on days I didn’t want to carry on.”
Finally, he thanked opponent McAuley for “being such an easy person to work with not making this any harder or more stressful than it has to be”.
Running a campaign based on a foundation of the work completed as ethnic minorities officer, Bana’s campaign was dictated by plans to improve diversity and inclusion for university services and among staff training, all the while “fighting for the welfare and equality of all students.”
Bana will replace incumbent Aoife Bennet in this role, with the handover to occur during the summer.
