Oxford Union elects first Palestinian as its president

Oxford: A first in its 202-year history, Oxford Union, one of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious university societies, has appointed a Palestinian-origin student as its president.

Arwa Hanin Elrayess, a Palestinian-Algerian student of philosophy, economics, and politics at St. Edmund Hall constituent college, is set to lead the renowned student union for the Trinity (summer) Term of 2026.

Elrayess won with 150 more first-preference votes than runner-up Liza Barkova, totalling 757 votes. The turnout was 1528, remarkably higher than last year’s election.

Elrayess previously worked in the production of Heart of a Protest, a documentary focused on pro-Palestinian protests held in London.

Her father, Mohammed Elrayess, took to LinkedIn and wrote, “Very proud of my daughter… for making history as the first Arab female, the first Palestinian, and the first Algerian to be elected President of the Oxford Union.”

Meanwhile, the president-elect spoke to the student-run university news website, Oxford Student, and stated, “I am grateful and humbled by the faith and trust the members of the Union have placed in me and my team. I want to thank all those who put aside their differences and came together to work towards a shared vision of this Union, which we all adore. I look forward to serving the members of this society in Trinity Term 2026.”

Elrayess’s campaign was concentrated on internal political issues hindering the Union’s governance. She had stated that the governance issues this term have “overshadowed the very debates that define (the Union).”

She currently serves on the Union’s standing committee and has been involved in organising students and advocacy.

In one of the debates held for the motion that This House Believes that Liberal Democracy has Failed the Global South, Elrayess argued that the West has weaponised liberal democracy as a tool of domination.

The Oxford Union is historically known as a chamber where free speech has always been celebrated with eventful debates. Founded in 1823, it has promoted debate and discussion not only at Oxford University but also worldwide by inviting international guests and speakers.