07/10/2013
NEWS STORY
FIA president Jean Todt has launched the campaign intended to keep him in the role for a second term.
The campaign gets underway courtesy of a website on which the Frenchman and his team look back at "four years of change", though, as yet, there is no hint of a manifesto.
"When Jean Todt took on the role of President of the FIA in 2009 his election was defined by a desire to modernise our federation," reads a statement on the site, "turning it into an organisation capable of matching the ever-quickening pace of development in mobility and motor sports, making it a federation properly equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
"To tackle these challenges, Jean Todt and his team drew up an ambitious set of goals – a Road Map to Renewal. Targeting efficiency, transparency and regeneration, this programme has rejuvenated the federation, forging an FIA that is progressive, inclusive and which operates according to the highest standards of good governance.
"With a first term now complete the desire of the Jean Todt and his team to continue the work begun in 2009 is unwavering. As the achievements outlined below reveal, the road map has been fulfilled and significant milestones have been reached. But with more to be done the journey is far from over.
"The FIA now has a governance structure acknowledged to be best practice. This has been confirmed by the federation gaining full membership of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and of SportAccord."
Thus far, Todt's only opposition is David Ward, who has actually admitted that he is willing to step down providing another challenger, or even Todt himself, will agree to certain changes as to how the FIA is run, namely an overhaul of the governance of the organisation, stating that it should be "promoting the effectiveness and accountability of its leadership".
In terms of F1, for much of his reign Todt has been invisible, though his presence at recent races has been noted. While there have been negatives, most notably the Bahrain fiasco, there have been positives, including the International Tribunal, though this was largely the brainchild of Ward. There is also the negotiation of the new deal with the commercial rights holder which guarantees the FIA around £15.5m ($25m) a year and sets the stage for the new Concorde Agreement.
The election takes place on December 6 in Paris.