Villàrs sues FIA over 'undemocratic' election statutes

Written by Kavi Khandelwal

Presidential candidate Laura Villàrs has filed a lawsuit against the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) at the Tribunal Judiciaire in Paris. Villàrs is challenging the governing body's presidential election process, alleging it is "undemocratic" and "unlawful".

Credit: Laura Villàrs

The lawsuit, which directly targets the upcoming election for the 2026-2030 term, claims that the current FIA statutes "unlawfully block" new candidates from challenging for the presidency. Villàrs is seeking to have these specific election statutes declared "null and void" by the French court.

In a statement, Villàrs was clear about the legal basis for the challenge. Villàrs stated: "The current FIA statutes... are anti-democratic and against European Union and French law".

The central issue of the legal challenge is the multi-stage process required for candidates.

According to the FIA statutes, any potential candidate must first secure a nomination from their own home club, known as an ASN. Only after clearing this initial hurdle can a candidate proceed to seek the wider support necessary to be on the ballot. This second stage requires gaining the backing of 26 other clubs from around the world, specifically broken down into 14 mobility clubs and 12 sport clubs.

Villàrs' lawsuit stems from her own experience with this first step. Her home club, the Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia (RACC), refused to provide the necessary nomination to launch her presidential campaign.

Villàrs alleges this refusal was not a neutral decision, but a deliberate move to protect the current president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem. She claims the RACC's decision was made "specifically to favour" the incumbent.

In her statement, Villàrs directly linked her club's refusal to the influence of Ben Sulayem. Villàrs said: "I am sure the RACC refused my nomination precisely to favour Mr. Ben Sulayem".

She argued that the current system gives an unfair advantage to the person already in power. "The current system," Villàrs stated, "gives an excessive power to the incumbent president, who can use his influence to block any potential inconvenient candidate".

Villàrs' legal challenge is framed as a fight for a more open and democratic process, where the members, not individual clubs, decide the candidates.

Villàrs added: "No-one should be given the power to decide if a member can be a candidate or not... this should be decided by the members in a democratic election".

Credit: FIA

Ben Sulayem is the current FIA president, having been elected in 2021. The next presidential election is scheduled to take place in 2025.

Villàrs, the candidate bringing the lawsuit, has a significant background in motorsport governance. She is the vice-president of the RACC, the very club that refused her nomination, although she is currently on a leave of absence. Furthermore, Villàrs previously served as the president of the FIA's 'Women in Motorsport' commission, a role she held until 2021.

When contacted for comment, both the FIA and the RACC provided limited statements, citing the ongoing legal nature of the complaint. A spokesperson for the FIA stated: "The FIA is aware of legal proceedings... As the matter is sub judice, we are unable to comment further". The RACC echoed this position. A spokesperson for the RACC said: "The RACC will not make any comments on a judicial matter".

The lawsuit places the FIA's governance and its electoral rules under significant judicial scrutiny. The outcome of the case at the Tribunal Judiciaire in Paris could have wide-reaching implications for how the leadership of world motorsport is chosen in the future.