2025 Electoral Committee Publishes Final Report on EMA Presidential Elections

Published by the Erasmus Mundus Association

The Electoral Committee 2025 documented the official proceedings of the elections for the President and Vice-President of the Erasmus Mundus Association for 2025-2027. The report, submitted on 6 June 2025, is now available to all EMA members.

The elections, conducted under the EMA Statutes (2024), Internal Regulations (2020), and the Electoral Policy and Guidelines (v1.0), resulted in the appointment of Marvi Qazi as President and Shahin S Eity as Vice-President for the 2025–2027 term.

A Transparent and Well-Attended Process

The Electoral Committee, chaired by outgoing President Md Ashiqur Rahman and Vice-President Ruturaj Trivedi, was joined by Katharina F. Heil (Former EMA President, 2019–2021), Sheenam Jain (Former Management Board Member), Jenny Lind Almaco (ENFP Centralised Support), and Hazariah Mohd Noh (EMA Research and Innovation Coordinator). The Committee was supported by a confidential team of volunteers who coordinated communications, eligibility checks, debates, voting facilitation, and disciplinary response.

Following a one-month call for applications, six candidacies were received, five of which were deemed eligible. The Preliminary Debate was held on 15 March 2025 and livestreamed across EMA's social media channels, followed by a preliminary vote (21–22 March) that returned an 83% turnout among 112 eligible voters.

At the General Assembly vote on 17 May 2025, participation reached 95% for the presidential race and 92% for the vice-presidential race - among the highest engagement rates EMA has recorded in recent electoral cycles.

Looking Ahead

Alongside the results, the report sets out a series of observations and recommendations to strengthen future electoral cycles, including improvements to voting infrastructure, communications protocols, and procedural timelines. These reflections will inform the work of the incoming Management Board and the Electoral Committee that succeeds it.

On behalf of the Association, the Management Board extends its sincere thanks to every member of the 2025 Electoral Committee, the volunteer support teams, and the candidates who stood for election. We also thank every EMA member who participated in the debates and cast their vote - your engagement is what makes our democratic process meaningful.

Read the Full Report

The complete Electoral Committee 2025 Report is attached and is also available on the EMA website at https://www.em-a.eu/elections-2025.