Florentino Pérez may have an electoral rival. It is not official yet but that is the idea. Businessman Enrique Riquelme informed the Real Madrid electoral board in writing this Thursday about his intention to run in the white club’s elections. At 37 years old, he wants to become the first candidate to face Florentino in more than two decades. The last elections in which the current president ran were held in 2004, when Pérez overwhelmed with more than 90% of the votes, defeating Lorenzo Sanz and Arturo Baldasano.
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He now has until Saturday to submit all the proper documentation, including the “bank pre-guarantee from any Credit Entity, Bank or Savings Bank registered in the Registry of Entities of the Bank of Spain and in whose text it is stated that this will automatically become a definitive guarantee in the event that within the ongoing electoral process, said candidacy is elected as President and Board of Directors of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol,” as stated in the statutes. This is just a first step. Enrique Riquelme and his team must continue working hard to finalize a project to be able to compete against Florentino Pérez, who has accumulated a total of 23 years in office, the last 17 consecutively. From now on, Riquelme must present the requirements (Florentino Pérez, likewise, must present his candidacy to the board), among which two stand out for their notable complexity. First, the guarantee of 15% of the budget, that is, 187 million euros out of a total of 1,200. Second, to assemble a board of at least nine people, including a candidate for vice president with at least 15 years of uninterrupted membership and the rest as board members, with at least 10 years of membership.
If he passes all the procedures and is proclaimed candidate on Sunday, the elections would be no later than June 7
In his letter to the electoral board, which “La Vanguardia” had access to, the Alicante businessman assures that his “goal is to present a project for the Real Madrid of the future, exciting for all Madridistas and especially focused on putting the members back as protagonists of a new cycle, guaranteeing that they are always the only and true owners of the best football club in the world.”
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“My goal is to present a project to guarantee that the members are always the sole owners of Madrid,” says Riquelme
If everything is in order by Saturday, the proclamation of candidates will take place on Sunday, a step prior to the start of the electoral campaign. The elections would be no later than June 7.
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