Explained: Why is Mohammed Ben Sulayem running unopposed in the FIA presidential election

Mohammed Ben Sulayem and three other individuals had revealed their intentions to run for the post of FIA President. However, the results for the December 12 elections have seemingly already been released, as Sulayem is slated to run unopposed due to a clever surrounding the presidential lists that each candidate has to submit.

Sulayem became the FIA President in 2021, as he succeeded Jean Todt in the role. But, for anyone to contest for the presidential seat, there are certain rules and norms that they have to follow, which are laid out in the FIA statutes.

First of all, the candidate should be under the age of 70 years on the day of the election. Moreover, a person cannot serve more than three four-year terms or 12 years in the presidential office, and they have to submit a presidential list encompassing 10 other individuals for various roles within the FIA.

Within the presidential list, each candidate has to lay out a proposed president of the Senate, a deputy president for automobile mobility and tourism, a deputy president for sport, along with seven vice-presidents for the same role.

This list would encompass one vice-president for sport, one each from North America, South America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, MENA (Middle East and North Africa), and two must represent the European continent. Also, FIA has revealed the 29 candidates who are eligible for the role, along with the prohibition that no single person can be repeated in two candidates' presidential lists.

With each candidate having to file a valid presidential list by October 24 to enter the elections formally, with ample choices on paper. This begs the question of what gives Mohammed Ben Sulayem the edge over his rivals in the upcoming elections?

Why will Mohammed Ben Sulayem run unopposed in the presidential elections?

Though the list that the FIA has released has enough options for the two proposed candidates to turn their nomination into a valid presidential candidature, the on-ground reality is different.

The FIA rule that prohibits the same person from appearing in two different presidential lists has given the 63-year-old the edge over his rivals. The 29-candidate list for the World Motor Sport Council has multiple people who could contend for the same spot, apart from one, i.e., Fabiana Ecclestone from Brazil.

She is the only eligible candidate for the vice-president spot from South America. That's where the plot twist lies, as Fabiana has already affirmed her support for Sulayem in the elections.

This effectively means that Mohammed Ben Sulayem will be the only one who will have a valid presidential list, as Fabiana is slated to be a part of only the Emirati's list. This would make his rivals' list incomplete for the nomination process.

What can Mohammed Ben Sulayem's opponents do now?

With no possible option in sight, some might suggest that Mohammed Ben Sulayem's rivals have no point continuing their campaign. However, that's not what FIA presidential candidate Laura Villars has decided to abide by.

She has taken the matter into her own hands, as she revealed that her legal team is having a conversation with the FIA regarding the issue, as she said (via The Race):

"Formal exchanges are currently ongoing between my legal team and the FIA Administration, as the current electoral procedure raises legitimate concerns of conformity with the FIA statutes. Independent legal opinions obtained by my team also confirm that several recent procedural changes are inconsistent with the statutes and must be corrected."

"In accordance with Article 1.3 of the FIA statutes, the Federation must uphold the highest standards of governance, transparency and democracy. All options - including legal and judicial ones - therefore remain under consideration to ensure that these principles are fully respected, in line with the FIA’s status as a French law non-profit association."

While there might be light at the end of the tunnel for Mohammed Ben Sulayem's rivals in the election, the time to put their arguments forward with the FIA is limited. With less than two weeks left on the board to file a valid nomination, there is a high chance that the 63-year-old will contest the December elections unopposed and start his second term at the helm of the FIA.