UIM: president and administrators limited to two extra terms
The newsroomUpdated on October 29, 20263 minAt Sintra, the UIM General Assembly limited its president and administrators to two additional four-year mandates; the count restarts from zero.
Key point
Adopted at Sintra on 25 October 2026, the new UIM rule allows two additional four-year mandates; any further term needs a two-thirds vote of the members present.
Meeting in Sintra, Portugal, on Sunday 25 October 2026, the 99th General Assembly of the UIM, the international powerboating federation, adopted term limits for its president and its administrators. The measure was one of nine Statutes proposals submitted by the UIM Council and takes effect immediately.
What the new rule says
Article 8.1 of the Statutes used to say only that administrators were re-eligible. It now provides that the president and administrators may serve two additional four-year mandates. Mandates held or under way on 1 October 2026 are not counted, so the count restarts from zero for everyone currently in office. A further mandate remains possible, but it needs a two-thirds vote of the Full Members present at a General Assembly.
The Council justifies the change with good-governance principles: limiting how many mandates UIM decision-makers can hold. The two-thirds option exists to avoid a shortage of expertise if candidates are scarce.
The case of Raffaele Chiulli
Raffaele Chiulli has been UIM president since 2007. He was elected unopposed to a fifth term, for 2025 to 2029, at the 98th General Assembly in Shanghai in 2025. Because that term began before 1 October 2026, it does not count towards the limit. Read literally, the rule would allow him two more terms after 2029, taking him to 2037, his 30th year in office, and a two-thirds vote could extend that further.
A matching limit applies to commission presidents, through a change to Article 7.2.1.1 of the By-Laws that was also adopted at Sintra. All four commission presidencies were renewed at Sintra for 2026-2030.
Other governance changes
- Council: Article 8.2 now gives voting rights to administrators and to the presidents of both the commissions and the committees; previously only commission presidents voted. The Council now nominates its Senior Vice-President, Vice-President and Treasurer rather than electing them.
- F2 and F4: Sports Commissioners for both formulas are appointed by the Committee Chairman after consulting UIM Secretary General Thomas Kurth, with no reference to the promoter's contract. The committee is renamed to cover the F2 and F4 World and Continental Championships, now under one direction.
- By-Laws: proposals 1 to 32 were adopted, except proposal 4, which was withdrawn.
Frequently asked questions
What does the new UIM rule change?
Article 8.1 of the Statutes now lets the president and administrators serve two additional four-year mandates. Before, it only said that administrators were re-eligible.
Do current mandates count?
No. Mandates held or under way on 1 October 2026 are not counted: the count restarts from zero for everyone currently in office.
Is a further term still possible?
Yes, but it requires a two-thirds vote of the Full Members present at a General Assembly.
When did the rule take effect?
Immediately, after the 99th UIM General Assembly adopted it in Sintra, Portugal, on Sunday 25 October 2026.
Sources
Written by the Karrazmotorsport newsroom, proofread before publication. For settings, always refer to your vehicle's manual. Our charter.
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