The controversial FIA boss Mohammed Ben Sulayem will probably run unrivaled in the presidential election in December. The American Tim Mayer declared the end of his candidacy on Friday and harshly criticized the electoral system of the World Automobile Association: This prevents possible challengers from running for office from the outset.
“It’s very simple, there is no choice,” said Mayer in a detailed statement: “There will be no coordination between ideas, no competition of visions. There will only be one candidate, and that is not democracy – that is the illusion of democracy.”
For a valid candidacy, a list of potential vice-presidents for sport must be submitted, who represent each of the six FIA regions and who must also belong to the World Council. However, there is only one such candidate for South America: Fabiana Ecclestone, wife of former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone – and she is already a member of Ben Sulayem’s team.
This means that it is currently not possible for anyone to nominate a vice president from South America, which in turn makes a valid candidacy for the FIA presidency impossible. The deadline for submitting documents is October 24th.
“Although the rules of the election mean that there will be no election, our campaign continues,” Mayer said: “It is simply entering a new phase.”
The long-time race commissioner at FIA events announced his candidacy in July. The former rally driver Ben Sulayem, who has been at the head of the world association since 2021, had “failed,” Mayer said at the time. He complained about “an illusion of transparency. Decision-making is becoming more and more centralized, dissenting opinions are punished.” The power in the FIA has been tailored to the person of Ben Sulayem (United Arab Emirates) through numerous changes to the statutes.
The FIA presidential election will take place on December 12th in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent. Laura Villars (28) also announced her candidacy in September, but this has not yet been officially confirmed – the Swiss recently complained about the same problem as Mayer.