The Assembly is the Social Sciences Student Union’s highest decision making body

The Assembly, or Fullmäktige (FUM) in Swedish, is the highest decision-making body of the Social Sciences Student Union. This body functions similarly to a parliament, where elected representatives act on behalf of all members when making important decisions for the student union. The Assembly meets at least two times per semester, and will decide at the beginning of autumn how many times to convene in the coming year.

The meetings are held in English. The Assembly will, among other things, discuss potential changes to the organizational structure, vote on motions, and elect key positions of trust.

The new structure: From the 'Representative Assembly' to the 'Assembly' ​

Following changes to the student union’s statutes, what is now known as the ’Assembly’ consists of 21 ordinary Assembly members elected for a full academic year. In case of absence, an ordinary member is substituted by one of the 10 alternate members (suppleant). 

Section mandates
Among the Assembly members, 4 ordinary members and 4 alternate members are appointed by the Social Sciences Student Union’s sections:

• Pluto
  Department of Human Geography 
  1 ordinary member & 1 alternate member
• Agora
  Department of Service Studies
  Department of Communication
  2 ordinary members & 2 alternate members​
• Socionomsektionen
  School of Social Work
  1 ordinary member & 1 alternate member

Each section is responsible for conducting their own internal elections to appoint their Assembly members. 

The Assembly Election
The remaining 17 Assembly members are elected through an open election – the Assembly Election.

All ordinary members of the Social Sciences Student Union may candidate to be a member of the Assembly, and all ordinary members hold the right to vote in the election. You may submit up to five names on your (digital) ballot.

List of Departments with guaranteed mandate
The Departments (or centre/unit) with “guaranteed mandates” in the 2025/2026 election are:

• Department of Political Science
  1 ordinary member
• Department of Psychology
  1 ordinary member
• Department of Sociology
  1 ordinary member
• Sociology of Law Department
  1 ordinary member
• International Office (Master's programmes at Graduate School; Bachelor’s in Development Studies)
  1 ordinary member
• LUCSUS, Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies 
  ​1 ordinary member

If a department is without candidates, its intended mandate is instead appointed in the second round of the count.

The process of Assembly Election
When the election is concluded, the votes are counted in two rounds
Round 1: Department mandates (”guaranteed mandates”)
To ensure good representation in the Assembly, the student groups at each department (or centre/unit) in our Faculty (not covered by a section) receive a so-called ”guaranteed mandate”. In the first round of the count, all candidates enrolled at the same department compete against each other for the “guaranteed mandate” of that department; the candidate from any given department who has received the most votes is found to have been elected an ordinary member of the Assembly. (Obtaining a department’s guaranteed mandate holds no significance later, as one serves in the Assembly.) If there is only one candidate from a certain department, they are sure to be elected in this round, since their department is guaranteed a mandate. This way, as long as there are candidates from a department, there will be representation. 

Round 2: Remaining ordinary positions
In the second round of the count, all candidates who remain in the election compete against each other for the remaining 11 ordinary seats, no matter what they study. Out of those who remain, the 11 candidates with the most votes are found to have been elected ordinary members of the Assembly.

Alternate members
​Out of those who remain when all ordinary seats have been filled, the 10 candidates with the most votes are found to have been elected alternate members of the Assembly. The alternate member who received the most votes in the election is the first to step in and serve as an ordinary member, if an ordinary member is absent. If an ordinary Assembly member resigns, the alternate member with the most votes replaces them permanently in the Assembly.

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