Questions raised at Amman Extraordinary Motoring Conference over October 23 vote

Motoring clubs attending the Amman Extraordinary Motoring Conference have called for an independent body to monitor the FIA Presidential election on October 23.

The call was made after the conference host, HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, Chairman of Jordan Motorsport, shared with delegates a letter from retiring FIA President, Max Mosley, declining an invitation to visit due to the presence of FIA Presidential candidate Ari Vatanen. Mosley is an ardent supporter for Vatanen’s rival candidate Jean Todt.

Described as a ‘letter of fear’ by Formula One legend Sir Jackie Stewart, it warned that ‘any thought that, after the election, everyone can unite and work together can now be forgotten’. There were also concerns raised by delegates that the FIA President claims to know as a ‘simple fact’ that Vatanen will lose the election to Frenchman Todt.

“It is therefore pertinent for me to express my grave concerns following the correspondence that I received from the FIA President, Max Mosley, this week,” HRH Prince Feisal told representatives from 25 countries.

“Jordan has always maintained a strong relationship with our President, so I am deeply disappointed by the content and the insinuations of his letter which have raised serious questions as to the credibility of the upcoming elections, especially as Max is strongly supporting the campaign of one of the candidates, Jean Todt.”

“Voting should be done with your hearts and your conscience, and not out of fear and intimidation. Now is the time to become one harmonious governing body, not to face a future of division and uncertainty due to decisions made during a democratic process.

“In the interests of democracy, transparency and integrity, we must be sure that this election is held in a fair and open environment through a secret ballot and under close third party supervision.”

Sir Jackie, invited to attend the conference due to his long-standing friendship with the Hashemite Family, stated his concern that the independence of the elections was now under threat.

“This is a letter of fear that clearly warns there will be ramifications on those voting against Todt, should he win,” he said. “This brings the fairness of these elections into question and, under these circumstances, an independent, reputable and well known organisation should be brought in to supervise.”

The need was further heightened by claims from the President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of Uganda, Jack Wavamunno, that “inappropriate” tactics had been used by close supporters of Todt in an attempt to persuade him to drop his support for Vatanen.

“The way in which I was pressurised was inappropriate,” he told the conference. “I support Ari because I truly believe he is the best candidate for Uganda and Africa but I was very saddened with the way that his opposition tried to convince me otherwise through threats and by other means.”

The clubs agreed that a letter would be sent to the FIA requesting that ‘to ensure a fair and a clean democratic process a well-respected monitoring body must be appointed to observe the October 23 elections’.

The conference also provided a milestone in the efforts to unite the Arab clubs with other regions, when it was unanimously agreed to create sub-committees among the delegates to strategically plan actions and campaigns to address the many issues confronting the world of motoring. These will include sub-committees to tackle burning issues like the environment and road safety.

Earlier in the day, a meeting of the Arab clubs agreed three further points:

-               The letter to HRH Prince Feisal from the FIA President was inappropriate in both its content and timing

-               The next FIA President should encourage inclusiveness and fair representation for all member clubs and ensure there is no prejudice against clubs that did not vote for him

-               Clubs throughout the region should unite to encourage sustainable development for the future benefit of motoring

The Amman Extraordinary Motoring Conference has welcomed representatives of clubs from Africa, Asia and Europe and HRH Prince Feisal, who has accepted an invitation from Vatanen to run as his Vice President Sport (Middle East), expressed that it should become an annual event with more clubs invited to attend in the future.