Election turnout a lot higher, Erasmus Alliance wins

The Erasmus Alliance has emerged as the winner of the University Council elections. The party of list leader Cagla Altin secured the highest number of votes, winning four of the twelve student seats. Overall turnout increased by over 3 percentage points.

Liberi Erasmi, with slightly fewer votes, also secured four seats, growing one seat compared to last academic year. The Progressive Student Party and the Erasmus Student Coalition enter the council for the first time, with two students each.

This year’s elections – the second in which student parties were allowed to compete – represent a positive turning point from the past, in which student enthusiasm continually declined. Compared to last year, turnout increased by over 3 percentage points, from 5.4 to 8.7 percent. That means some 1,300 more votes were cast than last year.

Erasmus United was the only party to narrowly miss the electoral threshold. The list of Rick Vuijk and Myouska Zwijnenburg received 212 votes. That was more than half of Erasmus Student Coalition (337 votes, 2 seats) but due to the residual seat system, United still did not get a single seat.

This means there’s no room left for individual councillor from the student part of the council. Erin van Gestel was the only individual candidate who made it into the council last year, and she may be the last for years. The new council will consist of four parties: Erasmus Alliance (4), Liberi Erasmi (4), Progressive Student Party (2) and Erasmus Student Coalition (2).

Among staff, there were elections only at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus School of Philosophy and Professional Services. At the RSM, Katarzyna Lasak won over Richard Brunnquell de Stachelski by a few votes. At Philosophy, incumbent councillor Max Wagenaar won from professor and former MP Ronald van Raak. Jaap Cornelese lost his seat on behalf of Professional Services to Pedro van Gessel, while the second seat went to incumbent councillor Sebastiaan Kamp.