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The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been ousted from office after losing a vote of confidence that came after his disputed online comments about Charlie Kirk.

The vote against the student leader achieved the required two-thirds threshold to remove him from office, according to an statement from the organization.

Contentious Posts

The controversy erupted after the student reportedly posted messages on social media that appeared to welcome the death of the American conservative figure, who was fatally shot while speaking at a college in Utah.

According to sources, one Instagram post reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.

The student leader is also said to have written in a messaging group with fellow students appearing to welcome the incident.

Vote Outcome

The vote of confidence was conducted over the recent days, with outcomes announced on Tuesday.

Official notices showed that over twelve hundred votes were cast supporting removal, while just over five hundred were against the motion.

The announcement confirmed that the future president was deemed to have stepped down in following the society's regulations.

Procedural Disputes

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

In a statement, Mr Abaraonye asserted that the count had been halted because election administrators believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of process errors".

His response categorically refuted that any representative acting for the student had engaged in threatening or obstructive conduct.

Continuing Controversy

The president-elect stated that extremely serious issues had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he remained the elected leader.

His statement added that he was "proud and thankful to have the backing of well in excess of a majority of university members" who voted to have a "secure voting process and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".

Critics have said that any failure to remove him would "demonstrate internationally that the Oxford Union has chosen ideology over integrity".

External Responses

On Friday, Kirk's former chief of staff read out an public message to the Oxford Union on a related program podcast.

The letter accused the society of becoming a place where "presidents of the union openly applaud the killing of a ideological rival".

The statement indicated that if Mr Abaraonye were to keep his position, supporters would "directly reach out to every American political speaker who has ever graced the union's chamber and advise them against future participation".

The society had earlier condemned Mr Abaraonye's remarks after Kirk's death and stated that concerns filed against him had been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings.

The student leader had been one of several students to discuss with the activist at the society in spring.