Mohammed Ben Sulayem re-elected unopposed in contentious FIA election
AFP | London
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Mohammed Ben Sulayem was re-elected as president of motorsport’s governing body the International Automobile Federation (FIA) yesterday in an election in which he faced no challengers.
The Dubai-born 64-year-old was the only candidate in the vote held in Tashkent in an election that has been contested in the courts. Two would-be candidates, Swiss national Laura Villars and American former FIA steward Tim Mayer, were denied the chance to run against Ben Sulayem due to FIA rules.
Under the Paris-based FIA election regulations, candidates are required to appoint vice-presidents from each of the six global regions, chosen from a list approved by the Paris-based FIA.
But there is only one vice-president listed from South America, Brazilian Fabiana Ecclestone -- the wife of ex-Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone -- and she gave her backing to Ben Sulayem.
A Paris court last week decided not to suspend the election but ordered a trial to examine the electoral process after hearing an urgent application from Villars, a 28-yearold Swiss driver.
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