Technically, Mohammed bin Sulayem should only be eligible for re-election as FIA President one more time—but now he wants to abolish this rule
FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem has proposed that the International Automobile Federation (FIA) repeal the current article that limits the number of terms a president can serve.
Sulayem, who is currently serving his second term after running unopposed in last year’s election, is currently subject to Article 20.10 of the FIA Statutes.
This states that “the FIA President may not serve more than three terms, whether consecutive or not, i.e., a maximum duration of 12 years.”
The BBC first reported that Sulayem wants to abolish this rule, which would allow him to continue running for office until he decides to step down on his own.
The Emirati was the only eligible candidate in last year’s election. None of the other candidates were able to nominate the seven vice presidents—two from Europe and one each from the other world regions defined by the FIA—required to officially run.
Fabiana Ecclestone was the only available representative from South America and had joined Sulayem’s campaign.
Term limits were incorporated into the regulations under Jean Todt’s presidency. Prior to the Frenchman’s twelve-year tenure, Max Mosley served as president for 16 years, while Jean-Marie Balestre stepped down after two four-year terms.
The FIA was asked for a statement, and a spokesperson for the federation explained that this was in line with the other elected positions on the FIA World Councils and in the Senate.
“A proposal has been put forward to create a uniform term limit regulation for all FIA bodies, similar to that currently in place for the World Councils and the Senate,” the statement reads.
“The proposal requires the approval of the World Councils and the General Assembly. The FIA bodies retain full authority to elect officials democratically.”
According to the FIA statutes, senators and council members are also subject to four-year terms but may run for re-election as often as they wish without limitation.
The proposed amendments to the FIA statutes, including the removal of term limits, are to be put to a vote at the next General Assembly.
Sulayem’s presidency was challenged in the last elections by Tim Mayer, a former FIA steward, race car driver Laura Villars, and journalist Virginie Philippot, but none of them were eligible for the runoff election for the presidency.
