FIA presidential candidate Laura Villars has been handed an emergency hearing with the sport’s governing body by a Paris judge amid her concerns about transparency and democracy.
The Swiss-Italian sports car driver and entrepreneur announced her intention to stand against incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem on September 18.
In doing so, Villars became the first woman to ever stand for the role, and the second of three individuals who announced their candidacy, joining former FIA steward Tim Mayer and motorsport journalist Virginie Philippot.
Mayer, who ran under the ‘FIA Forward’ ticket, withdrew earlier this month after failing to secure the sufficient backing required under the rules, which he claimed were “an illusion of democracy.”
A statement released by Villars’ campaign claims that securing this hearing recognises “both the urgency and admissibility of the case, marks an important first step in a broader effort to safeguard transparency, ethics, and democratic pluralism within the FIA.”
“I have twice tried to open a constructive dialogue with the FIA on essential matters such as internal democracy and the transparency of electoral rules,” Villars said.
“The responses received were not up to the challenge. I am not acting against the FIA. I am acting to protect it. Democracy is not a threat to the FIA; it is its strength.”
Villars added “I will go to this mediation hearing with the same attitude I have maintained from the beginning — calm, openness, and determination.
“I hope it will finally lead to a sincere dialogue in the service of a FIA that is more modern, fair, and connected to its members.”
Villars’ lawyer, Me Robin Binsard, Attorney at the Paris Bar, said: “We have obtained authorization for an hour-to-hour emergency summons, which demonstrates that the Court is taking seriously the serious democratic failings within the FIA, as well as several violations of its Statutes and Regulations that we have denounced.”
FIA defends its election process: ‘These requirements are not new’
The gripe that both Ms Villars and Mayer cited in their respective communications are in relation to how candidates must submit a ‘Presidential List’, in which it must include a Vice President for Sport every global region.
This is something that Mayer failed to secure, and therefore formed the crux of his necessity to drop out of the race, with many of the relevant individuals already backing Ben Sulayem’s continuation in the role.
In response to Villars’ challenge, the FIA defended its election processes, saying: “The FIA Presidential election is a structured and democratic process, to ensure fairness and integrity at every stage.
“The requirements related to the regional representation of the Vice-Presidents for Sport, and to select them from the World Motor Sport Council in order to draw up a Presidential List, are not new.
“These criteria applied to previous elections. As to be expected, preparing a candidature for a Presidential List or the World Councils requires certain steps to be taken.
“Prospective candidates have had since the publication of the detailed information on 13 June to prepare their applications.”
READ MORE – Felipe Massa’s 2008 F1 title court challenge begins in London
Discussion about this post