Real Madrid starts a new electoral process

Florentino Pérez, before Real Madrid-Atalanta in the Champions League at Di Stéfano.GEtty

Real Madrid began a new electoral process this Thursday.

As reported by the club through a statement, the president, Florentino Pérez, “after hearing the Board of Directors and in accordance with article 38, section b, of the bylaws, asked the Electoral Board to start the election procedure for President and Board of Directors ”.

• Florentino Pérez, reelected president of Real Madrid

In the white club, the members have not voted since 2006. In the following appointments (2009, 2013 and 2017), only Pérez showed up.

This time, the businessman Enrique Riquelme, from the renewable sector, has shown his interest in taking the step.

He did it recently in an interview with

.

The 32-year-old young man from Alicante is the son of one of the executives of former white president Ramón Calderón (2006-09) and his Cox Energy America business spans all of South America.

At Real Madrid, the criteria for appearing were notably toughened in 2012. When Florentino Pérez returned in 2009, a process of change began that culminated three years later with approval in the assembly of delegates.

From then on, it takes 20 years of seniority as a partner instead of ten and that the pre-endorsement of 15% of the budget of the entity of each candidate is backed by personal assets and not third parties, and by a Spanish entity, never foreign.

The modification led to a lawsuit by a group of 15 partners, who considered that their rights were violated, however, the court dismissed it in February 2016.

Florentino Pérez, 74, aspires to his sixth term, the fourth in a row.

He came to the top in 2000, after defeating Lorenzo Sanz in the elections, and continued in the first stage until 2006, when he resigned due to the poor results of the team.

"I have spoiled the squad, the club needs a change," he confessed in his public farewell.

That exit led to elections that ended with Ramón Calderón in the presidency after justice suspended the recount of the vote by mail at the request of Calderón himself.

In the presence, the victory of this by 246 ballots of difference with respect to Juan Palacios decided the contest.

Further behind were Juan Miguel Villar Mir, Lorenzo Sanz and Arturo Baldasano.

That day, in which several people rebuked Pérez shouting “traitor” and “coward”, was the last time that the Real Madrid members were able to elect their president at the polls.

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