Luqmaan Waqar has been elected as the President of the King’s College London Students’ Union (KCLSU) for the 2026/27 academic year, after securing the highest number of first-preference votes in this year’s leadership contest.
Waqar won 1,430 first-preference votes, representing 38.1% of the 3,751 valid votes cast in the presidential race. He was elected at Stage 4 of the count, after second and third preferences from eliminated candidates were redistributed.
He defeated Hannah Lu Chen, who came second on first preferences with 1,066 votes, followed by Arjun Sharma on 536 and Sanaa Sarfraz on 437.
Under KCLSU’s voting system, students rank candidates in order of preference rather than choosing just one. As lower-placed candidates are eliminated, their votes are transferred until one candidate has enough support to win.
Waqar, a King’s Psychology PhD researcher and KCL UCU student member, whose work focuses on loneliness and mental health among young adults, ran on the slogan “Competence, Clarity and Change”.
His manifesto went beyond the usual student-focused pledges, demanding a more rigorous ethical stance from King’s. This included a call for full arms divestment and direct oversight of KCL’s endowment fund – which a Roar investigation recently revealed holds investments in a firm linked to white phosphorus munitions. Waqar also campaigned for stronger support to rebuild Gaza’s higher education sector.
Waqar’s campaign also focused on a platform of student welfare, affordability and stronger representation. In his manifesto, he pledged to push for better mental health support, action on the cost of living and housing pressures facing students, greater postgraduate inclusion and more study spaces across King’s.
His victory follows a competitive race for the Student Union’s top role, but one in which he entered the later stages of the count with a decisive lead over the rest of the candidates.
Waqar was endorsed by a wide range of KCL student societies, including KCL Islamic Society, KCL Indo-Pak Development Forum, KCL House of Wisdom, KCL Arab Society, KCL Socialist Worker Student Society and King’s Ahlulbayt Islamic Society.
The election also saw four further full-time officers and four Student Trustee seats filled:
- VP Activities & Development – Hamza Malik
- VP Education (Health) – Harrison Lee
- VP Postgraduate – Zeina Eweiss
- VP Welfare & Community – Adithi Sathiyan
- Student Trustees – Priyanshu Kumar, Moazzam Tariq, Syed Farhan Murshed and Omar Hassan
The result for Vice President Education (Arts & Sciences) has not yet been declared. Roar understands the Returning Officer has delayed the declaration while a procedural matter under the Students’ Union governing documents is resolved.
This year’s elections saw a strong turnout, with 6,706 students casting ballots – around 15% of the King’s College London student body. In total, 67,928 votes were cast across all elections.
You can find the results for your society’s election at the KCLSUwebsite.
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