BEIRUT: March 14-backed student candidates at the American University of Beirut appeared headed to win more seats than rival March 8 in the university’s Students Representative Council during Wednesday’s election, but the Progressive Socialist Party and pro-secular independent candidates are the key to either side holding a majority.

Shortly after voting ended at AUB Wednesday, its Public Relations office released the names of the winners but did not indicate to which political coalition they belonged, leaving rival media outlets and political parties to claim victory.

Based on results obtained by The Daily Star Thursday, the March 14-backed Students at Work coalition won 36 seats of the SRC’s 109 seats, while March 8-backed coalitions, associated mainly with Hezbollah, the Free Patriotic Movement and Amal, picked up 31.

Another eight seats went to the PSP’s iCan independent list, which March 14 students claim will eventually ally with their winners.

Meanwhile, pro-secular independent groups won 29 seats and a second round of elections will decide five seats that were too close to call.

This year’s results could bring former allies PSP and the March 14-backed coalition together in the University Student-Faculty Council, several campaigners for Students at Work told The Daily Star.

Elias Ghanem, a former vice president of the USFC, said it was clear from the beginning that March 14 and PSP would eventually ally and regain control of the top position held by a student.

“The vice presidency of the USFC will very likely go to one of the PSP representatives at AUB,” Ghanem told The Daily Star Thursday.

According to Ghanem, the March 14-backed Students at Work coalition made progress in this year’s elections after years of poor results at the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture.

“Last year, the March 8-backed coalition won the majority of seats at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, FEA and the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences,”he said. “But this year the numbers have changed and the second round of elections might prove decisive.”

At the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the March 14 coalition won 12 seats, the March 8-backed coalition took 11 seats, independents won five seats and two seats were left in a tie. PSP’s iCan won three seats.

But the president of PSP’s Progressive Youth Organization, Rayyan Ashkar, denied any alliance with March 14 or March 8.

“We are not in any alliance with March 14,” said Ashkar. “We ran independently and we have won some eight seats in the elections at AUB.”

When asked whether the PSP-backed candidates would take the post of vice president, Ashkar told The Daily Star it could be an option but would only be discussed after elections are held for USFC members.

“It’s a wish for all parties to take the [vice-president] post ... but we can’t discuss this at this point,” Ashkar said.

“Let’s talk about who will get the [vice president] post after the election of the five tied seats of the SRC,” added Ashkar.

Meanwhile, the independent list, “The Alternatives,” won key seats in a number of faculties Wednesday.

“We won 10 seats in the SRC and we will work to export political ideas from the university to the whole country and not the other way around,” Ayman Makarem, a campaign coordinator for The Alternatives, told The Daily Star.

“Politicians in Lebanon consider student elections to be a referendum for their political parties,” said Makarem, who is a graduate student of Engineering at AUB. “As independents, we have a clear platform and we will work for change.”