University elections results 2023: Here are the new Board members

Preben Liljendahl enters the boardroom with a stack of papers under his arm, sits down, and puts on his serious demeanour.

He is senior consultant in the Election Secretariat and responsible for the conduct of the university elections 2023. In a moment, he is to decide the fate of the candidates who are present.

The announcement took place on Wednesday 29 November in the Board meeting room on Frue Plads. Many of the student candidates have turned up, but the employee candidates are few and far between.

I’m really happy that we won, but I also know that it was not just me that did all the work

Signe Berner, lead candidate, Student Council

 

Jesper Grodal and Pia Quist from Involve the Researchers! have been re-elected to the two academic staff (VIP) seats in the Board. Among the technical and administrative (TAP) staff, Dorte Brix from the list TAP in the Board was also re-elected.

As for the students, it was once again the Student Council that managed to send its lead candidate Signe Berner on to the Board. She will now join her party colleague Kevin Hangaard Olesen who is half way through his term.

The turnout among academic staff (VIP) was 22.4 pct., for technical and administrative staff (TAP) was 27.0 pct. and for students it was 14.0 pct [it was 14.2 pct. in 2022, ed.].

Free Forum ahead of Conservative Students

After the publication of the results, the University Post took the opportunity to catch up with some of the attendees for a reaction. The winner among the students first:

»I’m really happy that we won, but I also know that it was not just me that did all the work. It is all the good people in the Student Council who have fought this battle,« says Signe Berner.

For her, the rest of the day will be spent eating the traditional Danish glögg and æbleskiver at the Student Council, and later she’ll be joining in a protest against cuts to student grants.

Christian Ramon ran as lead candidate for the Politrådet list, which broke away from the Student Council in 2021. Signe Berner and Christian Ramon pass each other on their way out of the room and congratulate each other with a hug.

Although Christian Ramon did not win a seat on the Board, he is happy with the Politrådet election results in this year’s election.

»We are very satisfied with the election result. In the last three elections, we have gradually increased our vote to the Board, and it just goes to show that there are more and more students who agree with the policy we want to pursue,« he says.

As we enter the new term, we have learned a lot from talking to the other lists, and we will, of course, continue to do so

Pia Quist, lead candidate, Involve the researchers!

Even though Free Forum did not get a seat in the Board, Thomas Holst Padkjær, the lead candidate, had a hard time holding back his enthusiasm:

»It looks like we’ve doubled our vote compared to last year. This is a huge victory,« he says.

He believes this is mainly due to Free Forum’s new key issues.

»We’ve tried to set a more progressive agenda with issues like climate and free tampons. This has clearly worked,« says Thomas Holst Padkjær.

Chairman and vice-chairman of Conservative Students in Copenhagen, Marlene Budolph and Karoline Haarder, sat at the head of the table and sent a sea of cell phone messages back and forth while the result was read up. After the meeting is over, the University Post catches Karoline Haarder, who is first and foremost disappointed with the overall turnout of the election:

»It is problematic that only 14 per cent of students choose to vote in an election which is so important,« she says and adds:

»The university has had a goal of making the university elections more visible this year, but it has clearly not worked.«

Conservative Students had to see themselves beaten by their Social Democratic opponents, with whom they have otherwise run close races in the election campaign:

»Free Forum has become bigger than us. We have otherwise been used to being the ‘big brother’ in the opposition. Of course, this is a little sad. But we are pleased at least that it is Free Forum rather than the Student Council that has gone forward.«

Staff rep on the phone

We catch up with TAP-elected Dorte Brix by phone because she couldn’t make it to the announcement.

»I am super happy to be elected again, but I would also like to say many thanks to my opponent for a good election campaign. Now I’m looking forward to getting down to work and fighting to ensure that the administrative reform is as gentle a process as possible.«

‘Involve the researchers!’ has retained their two places in the the Board, is also enthusiastic about the result.

»I am relieved that we will be allowed to continue, so that we can ensure continuity in the work we are doing. When I look at the numbers, I’m also really pleased with the level of support,« says Pia Quist and adds:

»But we can also see that the other lists have received many votes. As we enter the new election period, we have learned a lot from talking to the other lists, and we will, of course, continue to do so.«