On Tuesday last week nominations for the VUWSA executive elections closed. There are five positions to be filled and only three names had been received. At the student Representative Council (SRC) meeting on Wednesday it was resolved that the elections committee be asked to reopen nominations and set the date of the election back. The committee has refused to do this, and a full-scale constitutional wrangle could be in the making.

The election should have been held at the en end of last year, but when no one came forward for the five positions people were co-opted onto the executive as interim officers.. The five positions are: President, Secretary, SRC Coordinator. Cultural Affairs Officer and Sports Officer. At the moment interim President Lindy Cassidy, interim Secretary John Hebenton and interim Cultural Affairs Officer Steve O'Connor are the only people standing.

This means that the important position of SRC Coordinator (responsible for the coordination of all SRC officer's work, advertising SRCs and preparing the SRC handbook) will go unfilled. Having no Sports Officer will also considerably hinder sporting activities on campus.

The election committee is composed of Gyles Beckford (chair), John Blincoe and Andy Moore-Jones. Moore-Jones is recently out of hospital so has not been significantly involved. It appears the committee feels that adequate publicity had been given to the election and thus no further candidates would be be likely to emerge, and is also worried about setting a dangerous precedent. Several points need to be made. Firstly, the SRC at which all students can attend and vote is the most direct expression of student opinion catered for by the constitution. The election committee is not required to abide by its wishes but we have a right to expect that they will be taken notice of.