The election of the sole presidential candidate, Harriet Geoghegan, and an apparent dead heat between two health science candidates were the highlights of elections for next year's Otago University Students Association executive.
After voting, all conducted via the internet, closed at 4pm yesterday, Miss Geoghegan, a sitting member of the association executive, received 2369 votes, easily outstripping 594 votes cast for "no confidence".
About 3550 students voted, amounting to about 18% of about 19,500 eligible votes, and well up on about 2800 votes cast at last year's election, election officials said.
Miss Geoghegan was "really happy" with the outcome and the support she had gained from students, she said last night.
Provisional results showed that David McKelvey had gained 338 votes for the health sciences representative post on the association executive, with Presant Sing also gaining the same number of votes.
Returning officer Simon Wilson said the final result for the position would be announced as soon as possible.
James Meager was provisionally elected as finance and services officer, after receiving 1552 votes, with Daniel Stride gaining 1006 votes.
Provisional winners for other positions were: Education officer, Stephanie Reader, 1262; welfare officer, Claire Jackson, 1739; commerce representative, Katie Bryan, 367; humanities, Walker MacMurdo, 299; science, Michael Anderson, 368; postgraduate representative, Amith Koleth, 279; international, Art Kojarunchitt, 177; clubs and societies, Daniel Stride, 1644; women's representative, Shonelle Eastwood, 754; general executive, Imogen Roth, 1431, John Philipson, 900; Pacific Island, Malia Asopesio Vete, 76; gay representative, Rosalin Mackenzie, 1089.