PART I – GENERAL PROVISIONS

Art. 1 Scope of application

1.1     The Electoral Rules, approved by the General Assembly, regulate the organisation of FIDE elections for all aspects not expressly provided for by the FIDE Charter. In the event of any inconsistency or contradiction between these Electoral Rules and the FIDE Charter, the FIDE Charter shall prevail. All terms shall have the meaning given to them in the FIDE Charter unless otherwise defined herein.

1.2     The Electoral Rules shall apply to elections for: FIDE President, members of the Council, members of the Verification Commission, members of the Constitutional Commission, members of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission, Zonal Presidents.

1.3     The Electoral Rules shall also apply to elections for the Presidents and other organs of FIDE Continents, when recalled by the internal rules of the FIDE Continents or when internal rules of the FIDE Continents do not contain specific provisions about elections.

1.4     The general principles of the Electoral Rules are, in any case, applicable to FIDE Continents elections and to all other FIDE elections. Electoral Rules concerning the schedule and the organisation of the FIDE Congress are also applicable to FIDE Continents elections.

1.5     The Electoral Rules shall apply to all persons who have the right to vote in FIDE elections.

1.6     The Electoral Rules shall apply to all persons who are candidates for FIDE elections, as from the moment that those persons declare themselves to be candidates or potential candidates for a given office or engages in campaign or similar activities that give the appearance that he or she is a candidate.

1.7     The Electoral Rules shall also apply to all persons listed in art. 26.7 and 26.8 of the FIDE Charter.

Art. 2 General principles

2.1     All elections in FIDE must be carried out through a fair, open and transparent process, in accordance with the principles of good governance and with the Olympic values. This includes carrying out all electoral activities by an impartial and effective administration, counting and publicly reporting accurate election results.

2.2     No undue obstacle or restriction to the exercise of electoral rights, both active and passive, must be placed.

2.3     Electoral campaigns shall be carried out in a fair and reputable manner and, more generally, in a spirit of respect for fundamental ethical principles.

2.4     Voters must be entirely free in their decision and must on no account be interfered with by threats, fear of retribution, bribery or pressure.

2.5     Interferences of any kind in the electoral procedure and in the outcome of elections in FIDE, by governments, national or international organisations or any other entity, external to FIDE, are not permitted. Behaviours considered by these Electoral Rules as legitimate may not be qualified as interferences.

2.6     The endorsement of a candidacy is possible, but without creating any undue pressure on voters and in the full respect of these Electoral Rules. No collective endorsements, by a group of Member Federations or by other entities are admissible.

Art. 3 Membership and right to vote

3.1     Each Member Federation represented in the General Assembly and in the assemblies of FIDE Continents has one vote.

3.2     After the admission of a new Member Federation, by the General Assembly, the new Member Federation has immediately right to vote regarding any other issue, but has no right to vote in the elections and about modifications of Electoral Rules, in the twelve (12) months after its admission.

3.3     All Member Federations must communicate the name of their President and of their FIDE Delegate, that can also be the same President. In accordance with art. 11 of the FIDE Charter, Member Federations must regularly inform FIDE Offices regarding any change of their President and FIDE Delegate, exclusively using their official email address, previously communicated to FIDE Offices.

3.4     Member Federations exercise their right to vote through their FIDE Delegate, or through their President, if the name of a different FIDE Delegate has not been communicated or if the Member Federation has communicated that the President will exercise the right to vote in that election.

3.5     Presidents and delegates may only represent one Member Federation at a time and must, on the date of the meeting of the General Assembly, have either: - a citizenship or at least two years’ residency of the country or territory they represent, or - at least one year experience as an office holder of this Member Federation, such as President, Deputy President, Vice President, General Secretary, main board member, director of the Member Federation. They must also be elected or appointed by the appropriate body of that Member Federation.

3.6     Sixty (60) days before elections, the FIDE Offices shall make public, on FIDE website, and sending them to all Member Federations, a list of Member Federations having right to vote and a separate list of suspended Member Federations, if any, together with the names of the Presidents and FIDE Delegates, specifying who is deputed to exercise the right to vote. Until thirty (30) days before elections, each Member Federation can communicate any election or nomination of a different FIDE Delegate or President. Communications received after that date will not be taken into account for the purposes of the legitimacy to exercise the right the vote. Only in case of proven impossibility of the person entitled to exercise the right to vote, communicated no later than fifteen (15) days before the elections, the FIDE Delegate of a Member Federation may be replaced by the President of that Federation, or the President by the FIDE Delegate, and only if their names were already included in the above-mentioned list. Immediately after this deadline the Electoral Commission shall verify the lists, approving a final version of them that the FIDE Offices shall make public, on FIDE website, the latest twelve (12) days before elections, by 6.00 PM CET time.

3.7     When no elections are previewed, the list of Member Federations having right to vote and the list of suspended Member Federations shall be published fifteen (15) days before the first meeting in which the exercise of the right to vote is previewed and Member Federations will be free to communicate the participation of the FIDE Delegate in the President’s place or vice versa up to eight (8) days after such publication.

3.8     In case of elections all complaints regarding the right to vote and its exercise must be brought before and shall be decided by the Electoral Commission, when there are no elections by the Constitutional Commission. All complaints must be addressed to the competent Commission, through the e-mail address office@fide.com, in writing.

3.9     At the opening of the General Assembly, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission or of the Constitutional Commission reports on the complete list of those entitled to vote and answers any questions and comments. The General Assembly cannot overrule the decisions of the Electoral Commission and of the Constitutional Commission.

Art. 4 Eligibility – Right to be voted and right to be elected

4.1     Every person has the right to stand as a candidate in FIDE elections, but to be eligible for FIDE elections, a candidate must meet the following criteria:

• the candidate must have reached the age of 18 no later than by the date of the meeting during which the election takes place;
• the candidate must not be deprived of his or her civil rights, as an additional sanction related to the commission of a crime, as a result of an enforceable judgment of a national or international judicial authority;
• the candidate must not have incurred any sanction of ineligibility, ban or exclusion from office, in relation to any violation of the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Code, following a final decision of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission or of the Electoral Commission enforceable at the date of the meeting during which the election takes place;
• the candidate must meet all the nominations and nominee requirements as set out by the FIDE Charter and by the FIDE Electoral Rules;
• the candidate should be able to communicate effectively in the FIDE official working language.

4.2     The Electoral Commission is the competent organ to carry out a preliminary eligibility check on the submitted candidacies.

4.3     Each candidate shall have the right to be elected if, at the outcome of the election, he or she has received a sufficient number of votes, in accordance with the provisions of the FIDE Charter and of the Electoral Rules, except when his or her election would exceed the limits set to ensure compliance with the principle of a balanced representation of genders, continents, zones and member federations, when such limits are expressly previewed by the FIDE Charter and the Electoral Rules.

4.4     All complaints regarding the eligibility of a candidate and the right to be voted and to be elected must be brought before and shall be decided by the Electoral Commission. All complaints must be addressed to the competent Commission, through the e-mail address office@fide.com, in writing, within two weeks following the event which gives rise to them. The Electoral Commission shall decide on these complaints in the shortest possible period, communicating a final decision not later than fifteen (15) days before elections.

Art. 5 Candidacies

5.1     Every person who intends to present his or her candidacy in FIDE elections shall submit an application form or personally to FIDE Offices or writing to the e-mail address office@fide.com.

5.2     Each application form should include:

• personal data of the candidate (first name, family name, place and date of birth, citizenship, residence and domicile, e-mail address, telephone number);
• a declaration of the candidate regarding the following points: if enjoys civil rights in the state of citizenship or residence; if the candidate incurred any measure or sanction in relation to any violation of the FIDE Charter and FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Code or any other applicable regulations issued by FIDE organs; if incurred any measure or sanction in relation to any violation of regulations issued by a FIDE Member Federation; if incurred any measure or sanction in relation to any violation punished as a criminal offence at a national or international level; if there are reasons for a possible conflict of interest or incompatibility with the position for which the candidature is submitted and, if so, how intends to eliminate them if elected;
• a brief biography of the candidate, with an explanation as to how the candidate claims to satisfy the requirements for the position to which he or she is seeking election, including particulars of the experience, skills and qualities which the candidate would bring to the position if elected;
• when requested, for the positions in the Verification Commission, Constitutional Commission and Ethics and Disciplinary Commission, a specific curriculum vitae regarding their background and expertise on the subjects that these Commissions deal with;
• the nominations received from Member Federations, when requested;
• a short statement -in the limits indicated in a form prepared by the FIDE Offices- aimed to present his or her candidacy, to be published in a dedicated page of the FIDE website, if the candidate expressly accepts and authorises the publication;
• the signature of the candidate (also electronic signatures or even scanned signature on a pdf document can be considered valid, if there are no doubts about the origin and the attribution of the document).

5.3     The Electoral Commission, after a preliminary examination, may ask the candidate to integrate the application and/or to submit additional documents or more specific declarations.

5.4     All candidacies meeting the requested criteria and having been duly examined by the Electoral Commission shall be declared valid and admissible. The list of valid candidacies shall be published on the FIDE website and made visible and accessible to all Member Federations and to all voters.

Art. 6 Nominations by Member Federations

6.1     When more than one nomination by a Member Federation is requested, as a condition for the eligibility, to endorse a candidacy, the decision to submit the nomination must be approved by each Member Federation in accordance with the procedures established by their statutes and must be communicated, both to the candidate and to FIDE Offices (at the email address office@fide.com), exclusively using the official email address of the Member Federation. Each Member Federation is entitled to endorse only one candidate for each elected position. No endorsement can be withdrawn once approved and communicated.

6.2     When just one nomination is requested and the person who submit the candidature is also the representative of a given Member Federation in that election, the signature of the candidate is sufficient to give evidence of the nomination.

6.3     Suspended Member Federations cannot submit valid nominations.

 

PART II - ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN

Art. 7 Electoral campaign

7.1     Electoral campaigning and promotion of candidatures are allowed only to the extent permitted under the Electoral Rules and during the electoral period. The electoral period starts three (3) months before elections. Promotion means any act or action that may enhance the level of awareness of a particular candidature. It includes advertising, campaigns or any organised or planned action for the election of a candidate. Electoral campaigning shall be understood as any activity undertaken by candidates or those acting or working for them with the aim of canvassing votes.

7.2     All acts of promotion in favour of any candidacy must be carried out with honesty, dignity, moderation and respect towards the other candidates. The purpose of electoral campaigns is to outline the positions and character of the candidate in a clear manner, so that Member Federations can make informed voting decisions. Any tactic interfering with this clarity, deception and financial influence shall be considered as unethical campaigning. Campaign communications should respect the delegates’ privacy. Candidates should not imply endorsement where none exists. Candidates should try insofar as possible to take responsibility for independent groups/individuals making representations on their behalf.

7.3     Candidates may accept interviews from the media, take part in or hold press or media conferences and may use social media to promote their candidatures, under condition to comply with the Electoral Rules and any other relevant FIDE regulations or rules.

Art. 8 Endorsement and right to support a candidate

8.1     Everyone and each Member Federation should have the right to endorse and support a candidacy.

8.2     Candidates may receive financial support by Member Federations or third parties, for essential campaign expenses.

Art. 9 Sanctioned behaviours

9.1     Offering, either directly or through an accomplice, any undue advantage to a Member Federation, which is any ascertainable enhancement in the beneficiary’s situation, legal or economical, is a prohibited practice. An undue advantage shall mean anything of more than nominal value in any form, including in particular but not limited to a payment, a benefit in kind, money, property, a service, a loan, forbearance or forgiveness of indebtedness, promise of future, employment or promotion, a favour, gratuity, honoraria, tickets or passes to an entertainment, social or sporting event, without consideration of equal or greater value in return. Advantages are not undue if they are of minor value in conformity with social customs. Thus, the following are excluded from the definition of undue advantage: complimentary attendance, including food and beverage, at charitable or campaign events, complimentary attendance, food and beverage offered by the sponsor of a widely attended event, awards, plaques, and other ceremonial items customarily presented in recognition of service in chess or within FIDE, promotional items having no substantial resale value, gifts from a family or household member, food and/or beverage of limited value, chess materials distributed freely to all Member Federations and to the members of their delegations.

9.2     Candidates should not directly or indirectly, solicit, accept or offer any form of remuneration or commission, or any concealed benefit or service of any nature, connected with any FIDE activity or election or appointment to office.

9.3     Candidates should not accept paid travel, expenses, air tickets or accommodation from other candidates, their representatives, members or other associated organizations to attend meetings and activities directly related to a candidate’s elections.

9.4     Candidates should not enter into any form of undertaking with any individual or organisation that is likely to affect the candidate’s freedom of decision or action if elected.

9.5     Candidates should not make payments, directly or indirectly, to journalists or other persons affiliated to the media in order to promote their candidacies. Advertising in magazines, web pages or other media is possible and lawful.

9.6     Candidates should not produce (or cause third parties to produce) any spoken word, written text or representation of any nature likely to harm the image or reputation of another candidate or candidate’s team, or to discriminate them on account of race, skin colour, ethnic, national or social origin, citizenship, birth, age, status, wealth, disability, language, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, political opinions, or any other reason.

9.7     Candidates should not engage in any act, collaboration or collusion by or between candidates with the intent to defraud or manipulate the result of the vote.

9.8     No candidate should coerce FIDE employees, officials, advisors or others to work on his/her behalf. Candidates who are already officeholders should not abuse their powers and should not use any FIDE resources on their campaigns including staff, materials, phones, facilities or premises. FIDE Offices should maintain neutrality at all times. The members of FIDE Offices should limit their relations with the candidates strictly to the content of their role as staff.

9.9     Candidates should refrain from carrying out any electoral campaigning prior to the start of the electoral period and must fully respect the Electoral Rules.

 

PART III - ORGANISATION OF THE ELECTIONS

Art. 10 Organisation of the meeting

10.1   Elections can be held only if inserted as a specific point in the agenda of the meeting, communicated to the Member Federations at the latest three months prior to the opening date of the electoral meeting, in accordance with the modalities established by the FIDE Charter.

10.2   Elections are preferably organised in occasion of a meeting in presence. The Council and the Management Board have the task to decide and organise the logistic aspects of the meeting.

10.3   If decided by the Council, an election may be organised also in occasion of an on- line meeting, from distance, using a reliable, well-tested platform and voting system, and notifying in advance to the Member Federations all details of the system and the technical requirements necessary to participate in the meeting and to vote. Participants will be responsible for their own technical equipments and web connection.

Art. 11 Chair of the meeting

11.1   The FIDE President chairs the meetings of the General Assembly also during elections.

11.2   Only in the electoral phase concerning the elections of FIDE President and Deputy President, in the period starting from the approval of the discharge of the Treasurer until the proclamation of the results of the election of the Presidential ticket, the meeting is chaired by the chairman of the Electoral Commission.

11.3   Given that decisions made by the General Assembly will come into effect after the General Assembly is closed, after the election of the Presidential ticket the continuation of the meeting is presided over by the President still in office, if different from the President new elected.

Art. 12 The Electoral Commission

12.1   To secure a fair and impartial electoral process, elections shall be held under the supervision of the Electoral Commission, that has competence to decide, also ex officio, on all aspects related to electoral process, if not otherwise provided by the FIDE Charter and the Electoral Rules.

12.2   In occasion of the election of the Chairmen and the members of the Verification Commission, of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission and of the Constitutional Commission, three scrutineers, nominated by the Council and elected by the General Assembly with an open vote, will act as the Electoral Commission.

12.3   Any complaint regarding the elections, including the campaigns, and arising from the elections shall be addressed to the Electoral Commission, in accordance with the disposals of the FIDE Charter.

12.4   The Electoral Commission is also competent to decide on all complaints or reports concerning alleged breaches of the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Code by candidates to elective positions, if submitted in the two months before elections.

12.5   In accordance with the FIDE Charter, each FIDE Continent nominate an observer who can attend Electoral Commission’s meetings, except when the Electoral Commission has to decide on cases of alleged violations of the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Code. The observers will be invited to participate in all meetings related to submitted complaints concerning the right to vote and the eligibility of some candidates. The observers have no right to vote, nor to participate in the discussion. They can submit written notes, at any moment in the electoral period, regarding situations related to Member Federations and candidates of their Continent. They can be consulted at any moment by the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, when deemed useful.

Art. 13 The Scrutineers

13.1   The Council, with a decision taken at least twenty (20) days before elections, shall nominate three (3) persons, that are not candidates in the election and are not participating in any way in the electoral campaign, to act as scrutineers. The Council shall also indicate three other persons designated, in the order, as possible substitutes. Scrutineers shall be elected by the General Assembly by on open vote. If one of the nominated is not elected by the General Assembly, or more than one, another open vote shall concern the substitutes.

13.2   In the case of elections of the Chairmen and the members of the Verification Commission, of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission and of the Constitutional Commission, three (3) scrutineers shall be nominated by the Council three (3) months before the elections the latest; they will start immediately to act as the Electoral Commission; during the elections they will also act as scrutineers, following their election, by the General Assembly, by an open vote.

Art. 14 Roll call

14.1   The Electoral Commission, heard the proposals of the Management Board, nominates three persons, preferably FIDE employees, assigning them the following tasks, that can be carried out also individually by each one of them, during the period starting from 30 minutes before the scheduled hour of the opening of the meeting until the end of the meeting:

• to identify the participants in the electoral meeting, by their personal knowledge or by means of presented identity documents;
• to distribute to participants having right to vote any tool necessary for voting, if any;
• to register the entrance of the participants in the meeting room where the elections will be held, asking participants having right to vote to sign a separate register - the signature on the register is equivalent to a positive answer to the roll call-;
• to communicate to the FIDE Presidente, at the opening of the meeting, the number of present participants having right to vote;
• to record the exit of the participants from the meeting room, if before the end of the electoral procedures and if they declare that they do not intend to return.

14.2   Participants having right to vote can be admitted to the entrance in the meeting room and to vote also after the opening of the meeting and until the closure of the voting procedure, after their identification with the same above mentioned modalities.

14.3   If requested by the FIDE President, or by the Electoral Commission, or by the representative of at least 5 Member Federations, during the meeting a new roll-call shall take place, in alphabetical order, or using the distributed electronic tool, if available. The Chairperson shall reject repeated requests of new roll-call not based on reasonable basis.

Art. 15 Quorum

15.1   The quorum, that is the minimum number of voters needed for a valid election, shall be 50 % of the total number of Member Federations having right to vote.

15.2   This quorum shall be established by the roll call at the beginning of the meeting.

15.3   No further roll calls are needed to establish the quorum, unless requested in accordance with art. 14.3

Art. 16 Vote

16.1   Voting usually takes place in the traditional forms. If an electronic voting system is available, it may take place electronically. In case of an online meeting, an electronic voting system from distance, on the web, must be available. The exact procedures of voting will be announced by the Electoral Commission Chairman.

16.2   The Council is competent to decide if a system of electronic voting has to be used and which one. The Electoral Commission is competent to test the system and to ratify its use, if founded reliable, asking for changes, if necessary.

16.3   If a system of electronic voting is used, bearing in mind the fast development of new technologies, the Council shall be empowered to approve specific modalities of voting. The following one could constitute a not mandatory model for Council’s decision: participants having right to vote shall receive a unique polling card or electronical message; on them two codes will be shown; the first code shall be used to log into the e-voting system, where the voter shall cast the vote; after the vote has been cast, the voter has the option to verify that it has been correctly recorded by using the second code and will have the possibility to modify the vote, in the established time limits for the vote; in case of secret vote, it shall not be possible for any other person to cross-check which vote has been cast by a specific voter and the vote must be expressed using digital encryption technology. However, the Council may approve any other method of electronic voting.

16.4   If a traditional system of voting is used, in case of a secret vote the Electoral Commission shall decide how to prepare and distribute ballot papers, with the names of the candidates, and how to set up the polling booths and the ballot box. The ballot box, which shall have a slot on top, shall be openly visible from all sides and shall be separated from any other object.

16.5   A list with the candidates for each office shall be circulated before the elections.

16.6   Each voter may vote for up to the maximum possible number of vacant positions. If votes for more, then the ballot is not valid. Valid votes are those where a mark has been made within the box on the ballot paper. Marks such as ‘x’, ‘√’ or ‘+’ are acceptable.

16.7   In case of an open vote, modalities shall be decided by the Electoral Commission.

Art. 17 Counting of votes

17.1   For the elections regarding a single position, an absolute majority of the votes cast, not counting abstentions, shall be required, if not otherwise provided by these Electoral Rules. If there is a tie, the voting is repeated until the tie is broken.

17.2   If three or more persons are candidates for more than one position (as for the election of the Vice Presidents), the most voted candidates are elected. If there is a tie, the voting is repeated among the candidates that receive the same number of votes, until the tie is broken.

Art. 18 Declaration of results

18.1   The Chairman of the Electoral Commission shall officially announce the results of the vote.

18.2   All members of FIDE organs are elected for a period of four years and assume their position starting from the end of the meeting of the organ that elected them. Where an interim election is necessitated, the person elected shall serve for the remainder of the normal election period.

Art. 19 Archiving of documents

19.1   All documents related to electoral process, including the applications submitted by the candidates, the nominations and the votes expressed on the ballot papers, shall be kept in FIDE archives, for a period of at least one year.

 

PART IV VIOLATIONS AND SANCTIONS

Art. 20 Violations of the Electoral Rules and of the Ethics and Disciplinary Code

20.1   Candidates and any other persons or entities acting in their favour or for their benefit shall be considered as individually and jointly responsible for any act of promotion that is prohibited under the Electoral Rules or other relevant FIDE regulations. The candidate who, by a declaration made public, make it clear that a particular conduct or certain statements of another person or entity, have not been held in his or her name, nor on his or her behalf and are not shared by him or her, cannot be sanctioned for this conduct or statement.

20.2   In the event of any infringement of the Electoral Rules, of the Ethics and Disciplinary Code or of other applicable FIDE regulations, by candidates, Member Federations and their representatives, and any other third party, the Electoral Commission may, in accordance with the procedural principles set forth in Ethics and Disciplinary Commission Procedural Rules, decide to sanction them, also withdrawing a candidate, regardless of who is the author of the infringements. The Electoral Commission cannot impose the most severe sanction of the exclusion of a candidate from the election in the period starting from fifteen (15) days before elections, given that, in a shorter period, the candidate would have not the possibility to challenge the decision by way of appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

20.3   Ethics and Disciplinary Code, including its parties concerning sanctions, is fully applicable to violations committed during the electoral period by candidates, Member Federations and their representatives.

20.4   The Electoral Commission is competent to decide on all complaints or reports concerning alleged breaches of the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Code by candidates to elective positions, if submitted in the two months before elections and until the conclusion of the elections.

 

PART V – ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT AND OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL

Art. 21 Elections of the President and of the Deputy President

21.1   The election of the FIDE President and Deputy President, on a joint ticket, shall take place at the General Assembly meeting, during the FIDE Congress, on a quadrennial basis.

21.2   If the President resigns or is permanently incapacitated or has been temporarily substituted for a period longer than 6 months, the Council must convene new elections in the General Assembly that has to be organised in the year of next Chess Olympiad, and the mandate of all members of the Council is concluded after them.

21.3   If the Deputy President resigns or is permanently incapacitated, new elections are organised in the next General Assembly, only for the position of Deputy President. The General Assembly will vote by confirming or not the nomination proposed by the President.

21.4   The election of the FIDE President and Deputy President shall be held prior to all other elections, after the vote on the suspension or expulsion of a Member Federation, if in agenda, immediately after the consideration of the reports submitted by the President, the Treasurer and the Verification Commission and after the discharge of the Treasurer. In the years of Presidential elections, the report of the President shall be limited to 15 minutes, covering past activities.

21.5   Candidacies for the Presidential ticket must reach FIDE Offices at the latest two months before the opening of the meeting of the General Assembly, by 6.00 PM, CET time.

21.6   The candidates President and Deputy President of the same ticket must not be representative from the same Member Federation.

21.7   Each ticket must be endorsed by nominations from at least five Member Federations, among them at least one from each of the four FIDE Continents, but by no more than eight Member Federations in total. Each Member Federation is entitled to endorse only one Presidential ticket.

21.8   After a preliminary examination of the submitted applications, by the Electoral Commission, the list of candidacies shall be announced, by FIDE Offices, on the FIDE website, the latest two days after the deadline for the submission of the candidacies.

21.9   Any complaint regarding the eligibility of a candidate for the position of President or Deputy President must be addressed to the Electoral Commission in writing within two weeks following the official announcement of the candidacies by the FIDE Offices on the FIDE web site.

21.10 In case the candidate of a Presidential ticket for the position of Deputy President becomes incapable to run for the election (death, illness or similar serious reasons to be judged by the Electoral Commission), he/she can be replaced on the Presidential ticket within twenty (20) days after the unexpected event, but at the latest five (5) days before the elections. In case the Presidential Candidate becomes incapable to run for the election, the respective Presidential ticket shall not participate in the elections.

21.11 In the location of the FIDE Congress and of the Chess Olympiads, Presidential candidates must have equal spaces and equal opportunities to present their programme and to distribute election materials, in an open and transparent way.

21.12 On the day of the elections, the candidates for President and Deputy President will have a maximum of fifteen (15) minutes on stage, for each Presidential ticket, to present their programme. The order of appearance shall be decided by the drawing of lots.

21.13 Votes on elections for the Presidential ticket must be made by secret ballot.

21.14 Each Presidential candidate is entitled to appoint one observer for the counting of the ballots.

21.15 If there are three or more candidates for Presidential elections, the Presidential ticket that receive 50% plus one of the votes cast is elected on the first ballot. If there is no election on the first ballot, the two most voted candidates proceed to the second ballot. If there is a tie, to any ballot, the voting among tied candidates is repeated until the tie is broken.

Art. 22 Election of 4 Vice Presidents

22.1   The election of four (4) Vice Presidents will follow the election of the Presidential ticket.

22.2   If an elected Vice President resigns or is permanently incapacitated, new elections are organised in the next General Assembly, respecting the principle of gender balance as hereafter specified.

22.3   Candidacies for the position of elected Vice President must reach FIDE Offices at the latest one month before the opening of the meeting of the General Assembly, by 6.00 PM, CET time.

22.4   Each candidacy for the position of elected Vice President must be endorsed by nominations from at least three (3) Member Federations. Each Member Federation is entitled to endorse only one candidacy for the position of elected Vice President.

22.5   A defeated candidate from a Presidential ticket may accept nominations for the position of elected Vice President, submitting his or her candidacy before the beginning of the procedures for these elections.

22.6   Given that no more than one representative from the same Member Federation may serve on the Council simultaneously, except for the Presidents of FIDE Continents, if in the list of candidacies for the position of elected Vice Presidents there are persons who represent the same Member Federation of the newly elected President or Deputy President, these candidates shall be considered as no longer eligible.

22.7   Votes on these elections must be made by secret ballot.

22.8   To assure gender balance inside FIDE Council, the election of these four Vice Presidents shall take place in two rounds. With the first vote, the General Assembly shall elect three (3) Vice Presidents, among all candidates. With the second vote, the General Assembly shall elect one (1) Vice President. If the candidates elected in the first round are all of the same gender, only candidates of the opposite gender can be voted in the second round. However, if the most voted candidate from the opposite gender received at least 50% of the valid votes in the first round, this candidate will be considered directly elected without the second vote. Only the candidates who participated in the first round are eligible for the second round. If among the candidates in the second round there is only one representative of the gender not represented after the first round of elections, this candidate will be considered directly elected without a second vote. If after the first round of elections there are both genders represented among Vice-Presidents, representatives of both genders may participate in the second round of elections. However, if the fourth most voted candidate received at least 50% of the valid votes in the first round, this candidate will be considered directly elected without a second vote.

Art. 23 Elections of the Treasurer, the Secretary of the Council and of 3 Vice Presidents

23.1   After the elections of the Presidential ticket and of four Vice Presidents, the newly elected President shall nominate one person for the position of the Treasurer, three (3) persons for the position of Vice Presidents proposed by the elected President and one person for the position of the Secretary of the Council.

23.2   Deciding these nominations, the President must consider that no more than one representative from the same Member Federation may serve on the Council simultaneously and that, to assure gender balance inside FIDE Council, at least two (2) members of the Council must be of the less represented gender.

23.3   Proposing the nominations to the General Assembly, the President shall briefly illustrate the curriculum vitae of the candidates, their experience, skills and qualities, with an explanation as to how these candidates satisfy the requirements for those positions.

23.4   The General Assembly, by secret vote and by majority, will confirm or not each one of the nominations by the President.

23.5   If one or more nomination is not confirmed, the President will propose a different nomination that the General Assembly will confirm or not, with the same above- mentioned modalities, and so on, until fully confirmed nominations.

23.6   If the Treasurer, or a Vice President elected by confirmation, or the Secretary of the Council, resigns or is permanently incapacitated, new nominations and elections by confirmation are organised in the next General Assembly, respecting the principle of gender balance as specified above.

 

PART VI – ELECTIONS OF THE CHAIRMEN AND THE MEMBERS OF THE VERIFICATION  COMMISSION, OF THE ETHICS AND DISCIPLINARY COMMISSION AND OF THE  CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSION

Art. 24 Elections of chairmen and members of the elected Commissions

24.1   Elections of the Chairmen and the members of the Verification Commission, of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission and of the Constitutional Commission are held two years after the Presidential elections. They shall take place at the General Assembly meeting, during the FIDE Congress, on a quadrennial basis.

24.2   Candidatures for the above listed positions must reach FIDE Offices at the latest one month before the opening of the meeting of the General Assembly, by 6.00 PM, CET time.

24.3   Each candidacy for these positions must be endorsed by nominations from at least three (3) Member Federations. Each Member Federation is entitled to endorse only one candidacy for each one of these positions.

24.4   A defeated candidate for a position of chairman may accept nominations for the position of member of the same commission, submitting his or her candidacy before the beginning of the procedures for these elections.

24.5   The Council is competent to carry out a preliminary examination of the received applications, may ask a candidate to integrate the application and/or to submit additional documents or more specific declarations.

24.6   Three scrutineers, nominated by the Council and elected by the General Assembly with an open vote, will act as the Electoral Commission, assuming this function immediately after their election.

24.7   Separate elections are organised for the positions of: Chairman of the Verification Commission, members of the Verification Commission, Chairman of the Constitutional Commission, members of the Constitutional Commission, Chairman of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission, members of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission.

24.8   All these elections shall be made by secret ballot, except when there are no more candidates than positions to be filled.

24.9   Given that chairman and members of the same elected commission may not belong to the same Member Federation, if in the list of candidatures for the position of member of these Commissions there are persons who represent the same Member Federation of the newly elected Chairman, these candidates shall be considered as no longer eligible, and if there are more candidates for the position of member of these Commissions, belonging to the same Member Federation, no more than one can be elected in the same Commission, the most voted.

24.10 To assure gender balance inside FIDE elected Commissions, both genders must be represented among elected members of these Commissions, it means that if all the most voted candidates are of the same gender, the less voted of them will not be elected and the most voted candidate of the other gender will be elected.

Art. 25 Interim elections

25.1   If an elected chairman or member of these Commission resigns or is permanently incapacitated, new elections are organised in the next General Assembly, respecting the principle of gender balance as specified above.

25.2   If a member of one of these Commissions is inactive for a period of 6 months or longer, without due justifications, following a decision of the other members of the Commission, ratified by the Council, he or she is considered lapsed from office, and new elections will be organised for that position in the next General Assembly.

 

PART VII – ELECTIONS OF ZONAL PRESIDENTS

Art. 26 Elections of Zonal Presidents

26.1   The elections for Zonal President shall take place during the FIDE Congress, on a quadrennial basis. These elections must be organised and concluded before the opening of the electoral meeting of the General Assembly.

26.2   Candidacies for the position of Zonal Presidents must reach FIDE Offices at the latest one month before the opening of the meeting of the General Assembly, by 6.00 PM, CET time.

26.3   These elections shall be organised directly by the Member Federations belonging to the respective Zones.

26.4   The elections for Zonal Presidents shall be made by secret ballot, except when there are no more candidates than positions to be filled.

 

PART VIII – CONTINENTAL ELECTIONS

Art. 27 Continental general assemblies

27.1   FIDE Continental elections shall take place during the FIDE Congress, on a quadrennial basis. These elections must be organised and concluded before the opening of the electoral meeting of the General Assembly.

27.2   These elections shall be organised directly by the FIDE Continents, in accordance with their internal rules.

27.3   If a continental election is organised without respecting the general principles listed under art. 2 of these Electoral Rules, the Council, following an advisory opinion of the Constitutional Commission, can decide to not recognise the results of that election.

 

PART IX - OTHER ELECTIONS

Art. 28

28.1   The general principles of the Electoral Rules are applicable to all other FIDE elections, as for the elections of the members of the Arbiters’ Disciplinary Committee.