All the 67 University students who applied for help through an opportunities' fund benefited from financial assistance totalling €25,000 during the last academic year.

The fund, managed by the University Student Council (KSU), is aimed at helping students cover education-related costs, KSU vice president Matthew Paris said.

Last year, he said, KSU had allocated the amount to the fund out of the money the council raised through the activities it organised. Mr Paris clarified that KSU was not funded by the government or the University.

In all, 35 students benefited in the first semester and 32 in the second.

Addressing a press conference in the run-up to the student elections tomorrow, he rebutted allegations made by student organisation Moviment Indipendenti, which questioned the transparency of the student fund.

Mr Paris pointed out that the list of names of the beneficiaries had been posted on the student notice board for all to see.

Moviment Indipendenti said on Monday the University's electoral commission was preventing it from mounting an effective campaign to challenge Studenti Demokristjani Maltin (SDM) for the KSU elections.

The KSU is run by SDM representatives who, last year, were elected to all posts.

Mr Paris pointed out that the electoral commission was appointed by students who attended the KSU's annual general meeting held last week. The event was characterised by a heated debate after social democrats Pulse proposed a reform to the electoral system.

As the electoral system stands, the group winning the highest number of votes gets elected en bloc regardless of whether a particular candidate for a post gets more votes than the candidate in the team with most votes. Pulse suggested giving more weight to votes going to individual candidates.

During Wednesday's annual general meeting, Pulse walked out before the vote on their proposal was cast because they disagreed with the manner in which the meeting was conducted.

Pulse eventually decided not to contest the elections but Moviment Indipendenti will be contesting three out of 12 posts.

Żminijietna yesterday called on KSU to change the voting system, so the end result of the elections would be a fully representative University council.