Scarborough Campus Student Union’s elections review committee has disqualified the recently re-instated candidate and the current VP operations, Deena Hassan, following the hiring of a new chief returning officer for the Spring elections.
After the appointment of a replacement CRO Sahabthan Jesuthasan, the ERC had reversed their decision to disqualify Hassan. She was briefly reinstated on January 29th to the elections race before being disqualified again on February 2nd after accumulating over 40 demerit points, due to pre-campaigning and her declaration of intent to run for president before the nomination period.
“Hassan has garnered extensive support for her candidacy before any other candidate had the right to do so. There is also evidence in the form of screenshot text messages that have parties that are associated with Hassan indicating Hassan’s wish to run as a candidate for president. With the precedence already being set in previous rulings I find the actions after the Jan 22nd 2018 Pre-campaigning,” stated an update on demerit points through the SCSU elections website.
Hassan was initially disqualified from the race after accumulating over 35 demerit points, because she was photographed wearing a SCSU sweater while campaigning, which was considered to be an “abuse of position”, according to the elections code. After the appointment of a replacement, CRO Sahabthan Jesuthasan, the ERC reversed their decision to disqualify Hassan.
The ERC also alleged that Hassan intentionally blamed former CRO Mahir Zuber of corruption in the all-candidates meeting and misrepresented facts.
Hassan was quoted during the protest saying, “The VP operations always sits on the hiring committee responsible for the hiring of the CRO.”
The ERC responded on the elections website that “the hiring of the CRO is listed as a responsibility of the ERC. This is clearly outlined in the EPC. The CRO deems this act to be intentional. Hassan has been through SCSU election processes in the past, her ignorance for the rules, and what has happened in the past is questionable.”
On January 22nd, Zuber had resigned following the all-candidates meeting where he claimed he was assaulted and thrown onto a table by students who stormed the meeting.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
