The candidate Laura Villars is not eligible to be the new president of Fia. Now the organization is being taken to court.
Laura Villars was one of the four candidates for the chairmanship of FIA. EPA / AOP
Applicant for the leadership of the international automobile association Fia Laura Villars intends to sue the automobile association.
Autosport says that Villars is challenging Fia’s undemocratic way of operating regarding the upcoming presidential elections.
The international umbrella organization of motor sports will hold a presidential election in December. There will be no vote, because the current chairman Mohammed bin Sulayem will continue in his role. He does not have a single opponent in the election.
There were entrepreneurs. Villars was one of the three other candidates who applied for the post.
However, those who challenged the sitting chairman did not make it to the final list of candidates for a special reason.
According to FIA’s rules, every candidate for chairman must list in his candidacy the leading figures in six geographical areas.
Oddly enough, there is only one eligible candidate for the vast South American territory, the current wife of former formula mogul Bernie Ecclestone Fabiana Ecclestone.
According to the rules, the geographical manager can only be on the list of one chairman candidate. Bin Sulayem managed to get Ecclestone into his ranks, which made the presidential aspirations of all other contenders futile.
Villars, who applied to be the first woman to lead Fia, plans to sue Fia. The Paris court is now investigating whether Fia’s behavior violates the rules of democracy. The session is scheduled to be held on November 10.
Villars is applying for a change in Fia’s way of operating, asking the court to postpone the elections until the matter is resolved.
– I’m not doing this to act against Fia. I do this to defend Fia. Democracy is not a threat to Fia, it should strengthen it, says Villars.
Bin Sulayem has received a lot of criticism for his leadership style. He has angered both racing drivers, fans and sports people by, among other things, imposing fines for swearing and reducing freedom of speech. Many other Fia executives have resigned from their positions in the car association because of bin Sulayem.
Mohammed bin Sulayem is continuing his mission. PDO