Guild elections: infighting breaks out as voting begins

By Hayley Derwort With voting underway in the presidential elections for the Murdoch University Guild two of the candidates have already locked horns on a contentious issue. Bounce News has learned of a complaint filed by one candidate against another, alleging that a party had an open polling station at their campaign booth this morning. If true, this would be a violation of Guild Election regulations, which state: During the conduct of voting, no candidates may discuss or otherwise influence the course of the election within ten (10) metres of a Voting Booth. It is unclear at this stage what action will be taken against this alleged breach of policy but one student, who did not wish to be named, has called it unnecessary. “They were asked to remove it once, but it was back out again not even five minutes later before the complaint was filed,” the voter told the Bounce News. All three candidates running for office this year are current members of the Guild team, allowing for further debate on how the results will play out. Two of the candidates have welcomed the idea of some rivalry. Troy Treeby, presidential candidate for Action, and the current Guild Sustainability Officer called it friendly competition. “At the end of the day I’m friends with Guy and we’re both giving it our best shot,” Mr Treeby said. Guy McDonald, the candidate for The Murdoch Now Team (TMNT) and the current General Secretary, referred to it as a win-win situation. “It’s a bit odd, but on the bright side no one I hate is going to be elected,” Mr McDonald said. Mr Treeby, Mr McDonald and the third candidate Ferhan Siddiqi all met in Hills Lecture Theatre Monday afternoon for the presidential debate. Voting for the election closes on Thursday, and the results will be announced this Friday.