STUDENTS lodged a protest outside a University of Aberdeen Court meeting which discussed the scrapping of the Rector election over allegations of "dirty tricks" by the campaign for Maggie Chapman, the co-convenor of the Scottish Greens.

As the student body called for a decision over a re-vote to be rescinded some lobbied Court members to release the results of the election which was scrapped in a row over hundreds of campaign posters being torn down.

But a University of Aberdeen spokeswoman said their rules state "the decision of the Elections Committee is final".

The Herald:

It is claimed that attempts were made to get the student president Ogubie Lawson removed from the Court discussion about the Rector election but he refused.

The Aberdeen University Students’ Association, which he heads previously described as "undemocratic" the decision to scrap the election and was "disappointed and very worried" that the results of the vote were not published.

It is understood the Court has passed the issue onto the university's Senate body, which is responsible for the overall planning, co-ordination, development and supervision of the academic work of the institution.

Franziska Bloder, a 4th year Legal Studies and Psychology student said: "This Rector election has descended into a farce. And the farce is all of the University's making.

"The complete lack of evidence of wrongdoing, and the University's refusal to check CCTV for anything wrong mean we are all at a loss as to why our votes are being discarded.

The Herald:

"At every turn we have had assurances that an explanation will be forthcoming. Yet we still have no convincing explanation of what made the University dismiss our votes. It's time for them to come clean, and explain exactly what's going on here."

A re-vote is expected in the New Year, with the university elections committee decided that the result of the election should not be declared.

The Rector since 1860 was the students' only representative, and, in more recent years, their main representative on the University Court.

The current Rector Ms Chapman, disqualified herself from the Court discussions and was concerned about attempts to exclude Mr Ogubie when "all he has done is communicate student views to court - which is his job".

She told supporters she feels that Court had the power to reconsider the revote and allow the release of the election result. 

Ms Chapman, who is believed to be confident that she had won the three-yearly election and had an appeal against the re-vote dismissed said: "It is also worth noting that some of those involved in previous decisions have tried to stop the University Court from discussing this matter.

"I am willing to accept the decision of Court to defer this decision to Senate. And I accept that I may need to win this election again at some point in the future.

The Herald:

"I am also very concerned that today’s decision means the student body is likely to be without a Rector at a time when crucial discussions about financial sustainability, including issues like staffing levels, take place. As Rector, have been able to prevent redundancies, and therefore protect the students and the courses that threatened staff teach."

A leaked appeal decision revealed last week that the university's elections committee agreed that it was "undoubtedly true" that "many, if not all, of the allegations could not be substantiated."

The complaints were primarily surrounding allegations of posters being removed by the Chapman campaign, but there were also complaints a smaller number of posters were also removed by other candidates.

The ancient post of Rector of the University of Aberdeen has a rich tradition dating back to the foundation of the institution in 1495 and has been held by notables such as former Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Herbert Henry Asquith, steel industrialist Andrew Carnegie and actor Iain Cuthbertson.

The Rector since 1860 was the students' only representative, and, in more recent years, their main representative on the University Court.

Ms Chapman's opponents were University of Aberdeen alumnus Andrew Bowie, the MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, student Angus Hepburn, from Kippen, near Stirling and the singer, broadcaster and producer Fiona Kennedy.

A University of Aberdeen spokeswoman said no concern of Mr Lawson's position at the Court meeting "has reached me".