Anoushka Kale has been elected president of the Cambridge Union for Easter term following an uncontested race.

Kale, the serving debates officer, won 126 votes, with 25 members balloting to re-open nominations. She will become the first female Union president since last Easter term.

The president-elect’s campaign centred around improving “diversity and access” at the Union. She has promised to strengthen “ties with cultural and access-based societies” and reduce access ticket costs.

This commitment comes after the Union’s decision to increase membership fees last year, following what insiders referred to as “years of bad financial decisions” at the institution.

Three of the four other races were uncontested, with Jack Peters, Innes Morgan, and Madeleine Matthews winning the Debates, Social Events, and Equalities officer roles respectively.

Only the role of Speakers Officer was contested, in a race that saw Aliya Adebowale defeat Ciaron Tobin by 45 votes.

Adebowale’s platform focused on “equal gender representation”. She has pledged a target of 33% international speakers as well as career-orientated talks from figures in “law, politics and finance”. Rival candidate Tobin campaigned to “increase postgraduate participation,” and also aimed to increase the number of global speakers.

The Easter term standing committee will be the third in a row with just one position elected in a contested election. Incoming president Sammy McDonald is the only president to fight a contested race for the role since the Union’s 2023 ballot-rigging scandal, where incumbent president Max Ghose allegedly added votes to candidates’ tallies after polls had closed.

Speaking on her victory, Kale told Varsity that she was “honoured to have been elected as President for Easter term and very grateful for everyone’s support. I’m looking forward to delivering on my manifesto promises, particularly on expanding diversity through society collaborations and reduced access tickets for the summer garden party.”

“A key component of my platform was delivering more for members, which I will prioritise throughout the term with a members’ motion and debate dinner ballots. Bringing new faces onto committees and increasing membership engagement is crucial to making our elections more contested again, which I pledge to push for,” she continued.