Current FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem wants to abolish the maximum number of terms for the FIA presidency.
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| Photo: Mark Thompson |
Every political role has a limit on the number of terms a person can serve. For example, an American president can be elected for a maximum of two terms. In the case of the FIA president, the limit is currently three terms, meaning a total of 12 years in office.
However, the current FIA president has come up with a rather shocking proposal, as he has reportedly promised to remove this rule. British media outlet BBC was the first to report this information.
Ben Sulayem is currently serving his second term and, considering the fact that he is presently the only candidate who fulfills the requirements to run for FIA president, he could theoretically remain in the position until he personally decides to step down. This, however, raises questions about the democratic structure of the FIA.
"The plan to change the FIA's statutes will be discussed and voted on at next month's FIA General Assembly, where it is expected to be passed by members," BBC writes.
An FIA spokesperson said: "A proposal has been put forward to establish a consistent approach to tenure across all FIA bodies, similar to what currently exists for the world councils and the senate.
"The proposal is subject to approval by the World Councils and by the General Assembly. FIA bodies retain full authority to democratically elect officeholders."
Asked by BBC Sport why it was decided to abolish term limits for all posts, rather than instate them for those that don't currently have them, an FIA spokesperson was unable to provide a specific answer.
However, a spokesperson pointed to the NFL in the US, saying Roger Goodell had been commissioner since 2006 and had "transformed the sport into a global brand and it has an outstanding governance record".
This change, together with the flawed voting rules, makes the FIA more undemocratic than ever.
Credit: BBC