Autobayng News Team
FIA president candidate Tim Mayer is withdrawing his bid to replace Mohammed Ben Sulayem in charge of the governing body of motorsport.
Mayer claimed the election has been decided in favour of Ben Sulayem due to the limited number of eligible vice presidents approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
“Under the FIA statutes governing the structure of the election, each prospective candidate must submit by October 24 a Presidential List to include one vice president for sport from every global region,” said a statement issued by Mayer.
“Those vice presidents must be drawn from the names nominated for positions on the World Motor Sport Council, a list that is already 27% smaller than at the last election. If there is only one representative from a particular region, and that person has already declared support for the incumbent, then any presidential candidate is left without a chance of standing for election.
“Only one candidate from South America was nominated, already aligned with the incumbent, and that was enough to prevent Mayer from moving forward. In the case of Africa, only two candidates were nominated, both supporters of the present president.”
Mayer was one of three rivals to Ben Sulayem who announced their intention to run for president. Laura Villars announced her candidacy in September and Virginie Philippot joined them earlier this month.
However Mayer is convinced none of them will have the opportunity to challenge Ben Sulayem.
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“There is no choice,” he said. “There will be no vote between ideas, no contest of visions, no test of leadership. There will be only one candidate and that’s not democracy – that’s the illusion of democracy.
“So the real campaign continues. For every club that still believes fairness matters; for every sport and mobility club that seeks equal access to information, funding, and opportunity; for every participant who believes the FIA should support them, not compete with them. We will continue to speak out for those who cannot and we will not rest until every member club feels free to speak for itself.”
He said he intends to continue his FIA Forward initiative to bring change to the governing body.
“While the rules of the election mean that there will be no election, our cause continues. Our campaign is not over, it is just entering a new phase.
“We will keep driving the FIA forward until democracy, service, and partnership are not just words in a statute, but the living values that define our federation every day, and we can bring into being the changes the FIA so desperately needs.”
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