Repercussions / Fallout from FIDE Elections?

[Roger de Coverly]

International sports federations are generally controlled by well-connected incumbents or state placemen. Truly independent candidates have no chance.

That describes the three candidates
Makro - well-connected incumbent
Dvorkovic - state placeman
Nigel - independent candidate

Kirsan was both a well-connected incumbent and a state placeman. Perhaps that's why it took a combination of US sanctions , an internal revolt by the well connected because of the sanctions and a withdrawal of support by the state sponsor to remove him.

[John Foley]

Both major candidates had stalls at the Olympiad. There were speeches at the Assembly.

Sure, but where was the opportunity to ask questions in public of each of the candidates assembled together prior to the election? The nearest thing we got to this during the Congress was at a conference New Governance Standards in Sport: Lessons for Chess which I helped to organise. The deputy from each of the slates attended and participated in a courteous round table discussion with questions from the floor. The video will be available on YouTube in due course. Bachar Kouatly (France - Dvorkovic), Malcolm Pein (England - Makropoulos) and Ruth Haring (USA - Short) were articulate, well-informed and, believe it or not, agreed on most issues. Next time, FIDE should consider arranging an open debate involving the candidates themselves and building this element of the democratic process into FIDE culture.

[J T Melsom]

John

Your record in electiions generally isn't very good is it? And you are pretty quick at blaming the deep state or nexus or something. Perhaps rather than try to improve FiDE's approach to running such elections and I've no doubt there is scope for improvement including caps on expenditure, you might like to reflect on your choice of candidate and their policies. You have the time to do so. And it is hardly a suprise in a three sided debate that the candidates for deputy sounded rather similar. Does 'I agree with Nick ring any bells'?

[Kevin Thurlow]

I'm not convinced a party (in the fun and frolics sense) in Batumi would influence voting much. In the past, candidates have approached the smaller federations and said "Are you voting for me? What do you want?" One delegate from a small federation told me that Campomanes rang him before an Olympiad and asked if the delegate were attending and if so, was his hotel good enough, did he need to improve it, or did he want to travel Club on the airline, etc. Sometimes, sets and boards are on offer, maybe just money to support the federation etc.

[Roger de Coverly]

One delegate from a small federation told me that Campomanes rang him before an Olympiad and asked if the delegate were attending and if so, was his hotel good enough, did he need to improve it, or did he want to travel Club on the airline, etc. Sometimes, sets and boards are on offer, maybe just money to support the federation etc.

Is there a borderline somewhere in there, that improving a Delegate's hotel or travel is unacceptable but offering equipment or other support for the Federation isn't? That said, there have been allegations that initiatives that supply equipment to some national federations have just ended up with the President selling the equipment on, to his own benefit.

[Chris Rice]

Chessdom have now published the full list of Dvorkovich's new team including 10 Vice-Presidents and three honorary vice-presidents. Also the Kremlin announced that President Vladimir Putin congratulated Arkady Dvorkovich by telephone:
“The President expressed the hope that the election of A. Dvorkovich to this post will serve the benefit of chess and will help ensure that chess will be cleared of any attempts at politicization and remain a pure sport from politics.”
I'm sure after that sincere statement we can all be completely convinced that Dvorkovich will not be Putin's puppet.

[John Foley]

John, you might like to reflect on your choice of candidate and their policies.

JT, the ECF Board decides which FIDE presidential candidate to support. To remind you of its clear and principled grounds:

the Board felt unable to support the candidacy of Arkady Dvorkovich, or anyone connected with it. The board felt this particularly in the light of Mr Dvorkovich’s highly political interview on BBC Hard Talk on 10th September in which he ridiculed Britain’s concerns about Russian involvement in the Salisbury nerve agent attack. Moreover, given the threat of the FIDE Presidency continuing as an adjunct of Russian foreign policy, as it had been under Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the Board felt that abstention was not a responsible option.

If you disagree with the ECF Board, you can express your opinions in the usual democratic way at the forthcoming ECF AGM in Birmingham.

[Roger de Coverly]

If you disagree with the ECF Board, you can express your opinions in the usual democratic way at the forthcoming ECF AGM in Birmingham.

The ECF Board might find they have a rebellious and critical Council. If so, it's their own fault for not appearing to attempt any form of consultation with either the voting or non-voting members.

[J T Melsom]

John

I haven't mentioned the ECF board at all. I thought you were backing Makro and assisting his campaign. can you explain the clear and principled platform that he represented. To an outsider such as myself, he happily sat alongside a previous Kremlin appointee until that appointee was ditched, so this objection to Putin/Kremlin placemen seems a bit rich.

[JustinHorton]

The ECF Board might find they have a rebellious and critical Council. .

God yes, I don't suppose we'll be spared the whining and shrieking of all the ECF Council members who've spent years backing candidates who made big noises about opposing Putin and now think the Board should have done the opposite. Really that would be classic, ridiculous ECF Council.

[JustinHorton]

Please let them make a big fuss about how FIDE needs voting reform, that would be so special. Yes indeed.

[JustinHorton]

he happily sat alongside a previous Kremlin appointee until that appointee was ditched, so this objection to Putin/Kremlin placemen seems a bit rich.

For the record, Kirsan became President of FIDE in 1995, four years before Putin became Prime Minister or President of Russia.

I'm far from thinking there was no relationship between the two, and for that matter it's not like Putin marked a particular break with his predecessor (he was Yeltsin's appointed successor) in anything other than relations with the West, but it's worth saying that the connection between Dvorkovich and political power in Russia is much closer than was Kirsan's.

(This isn't particularly aimed against anything Jonathan is saying - it's just an observation that I think merits making.)

[Roger de Coverly]

I don't suppose we'll be spared the whining and shrieking of all the ECF Council members who've spent years backing candidates who made big noises about opposing Putin and now think the Board should have done the opposite.

Opposition to Kirsan and his cronies predates Putin. Indeed it goes as far back as opposition to participation in the Elista Olympiad of twenty years ago, as orchestrated by Sarah Hurst. When finally there was a challenger to Kirsan twelve years ago, I don't think support of Kirsan by Putin or the Russian state was much of an issue.

You could argue there's been mutual back stabbing. First the ECF directors to Nigel and then Nigel to Malcolm's presidential ambitions.

It's rightly pointed out that the Olympiad has never been held in Africa and was last in the Americas in 1978. In recent years it's not left the former Soviet Union that often. If with the support of the Russian government or Russian sponsors, it was possible to hold the Olympiad outside of Europe, is that good or bad?

[JustinHorton]

When finally there was a challenger to Kirsan twelve years ago, I don't think support of Kirsan by Putin or the Russian state was much of an issue.

As we both know, Roger, Kasparov spoke of little else than Putin, and did so rather more recently than that.

You could argue there's been mutual back stabbing. First the ECF directors to Nigel and then Nigel to Malcolm's presidential ambitions.

No you couldn't. The ECF Directors had no particular obligation or reason to support Nigel. If they were going to support an English candidate there was already a ticket with English participation. "Back stabbing" indeed.

[Roger de Coverly]

The ECF Directors had no particular obligation or reason to support Nigel. If they were going to support an English candidate there was already a ticket with English participation.

They did however agree to nominate him and then withdrew support shortly before the election, much to the delight of the Makro camp. The other thing they could have done, but didn't, was to ask Malcolm to stand down temporarily from being the Delegate, so he wouldn't have to vote against himself.