ZURICH (AP) FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali is asking for Friday’s election to be suspended after his request for the use of transparent voting booths was rejected.
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The Jordanian prince’s lawyers said Tuesday they are seeking “provisional measures” from the Court of Arbitration for Sport to postpone the vote to select Sepp Blatter’s successor.
CAS said it received a request from Prince Ali, asking the court to direct FIFA to use transparent voting booths and independent scrutineers “in order to safeguard the integrity of the voting process and to ensure the vote is conducted in secret.”
CAS said FIFA has been asked to submit written answers to the prince’s request. CAS said it would issue a ruling no later than Thursday morning, a day ahead of the scheduled election.
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Prince Ali’s lawyers said in a statement that FIFA’s rejection of his request for transparent voting booths would deny “any right to a fair and transparent voting process.”
The lawyers, Francis Szpiner and Renaud Semerdjian, said FIFA was only requesting that voters leave their mobile phones behind when they go to the voting booths.
“This request is not sufficient,” the statement said. “FIFA remains silent upon the measures to enforce it and sanctions associated with it.”
FIFA turned down a demand for an expedited hearing on Prince Ali’s request, the lawyers said.
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“This behavior bears no rationale other than denying any right to a fair and transparent voting process,” the statement said. “As a consequence, we are now seeking provisional measures before CAS to suspend the coming election.”
Ali is one of five candidates in the race, along with Sheikh Salman of Bahrain, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino, South Africa’s Tokyo Sexwale and former FIFA executive Jerome Champagne of France.
