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The future president of the Oxford Union has been removed from his position after losing a vote of confidence that followed his disputed online comments about Charlie Kirk.

The vote against George Abaraonye reached the required super-majority to remove him from office, according to an announcement from the society.

Contentious Posts

The dispute began after the student reportedly posted messages on social media that seemed to welcome the death of the American conservative figure, who was fatally shot while speaking at a university in Utah.

According to reports, one Instagram post reportedly stated "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an extended form of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.

The president-elect is also reported to have written in a messaging group with other members appearing to express approval of the event.

Election Results

The vote of confidence was conducted over the recent days, with results revealed on Tuesday.

Official notices showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting removal, while 501 were opposed the motion.

The announcement confirmed that the president-elect was considered to have resigned in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules.

Election Controversies

Proceedings were temporarily halted early on Monday after the returning officer was reportedly subjected to "obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility" from several representatives.

In a response, the student asserted that the vote tally had been halted because electoral officials believed "no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of process errors".

His response unequivocally denied that any representative appointed by George had participated in intimidating or disruptive behavior.

Continuing Controversy

The president-elect maintained that significant concerns had been submitted to the governing body and that he continued as president-elect.

His statement added that George was "proud and thankful to have the backing of significantly more than half of university members" who voted to have a "secure voting process and resist attempts to subvert democracy".

Opponents have said that any decision to keep him would "signal to the world that the society has prioritized politics over principles".

External Reactions

On recently, Mikey McCoy presented an open letter to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast.

The message accused the society of becoming a institution where "student leaders openly applaud the killing of a political opponent".

The communication indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to remain in post, Kirk's allies would "personally contact every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and advise them against future participation".

The society had previously condemned Mr Abaraonye's comments after the activist's killing and stated that complaints filed against him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.

The president-elect had been one of several students to discuss with Kirk at the union in spring.