FIDE Electoral Commission Publishes List of Valid Candidates

The elections at the International Chess Federation (FIDE) have entered a new stage. On August 30, the FIDE Electoral Commission published its official report confirming the valid candidacies for several key positions. The main focus is on the election of four elected FIDE vice-presidents, one seat on the Constitutional Commission, and a number of zonal president elections.

The decision is particularly significant as the September FIDE General Assembly in Samarkand is now just weeks away. The FIDE presidential election, along with several other votes, will take place there on September 26, 2026.

A Key Stage Ahead of the Elections

The FIDE Electoral Commission held its meeting remotely and unanimously approved its decisions regarding the submitted candidates. The commission consists of Roberto Rivello, Yolander Perso, and Allen Priest.

The review was preliminary in nature. The commission examined candidates’ applications, supporting documents, and nominations, while also checking compliance with FIDE’s electoral regulations. At the same time, the commission stressed that this process does not constitute a final verification of the authenticity of all information submitted and does not prevent further complaints from being filed.

The publication of the lists therefore marks an important transition from the nomination stage to the final preparations for the voting process.

18 Candidates for Four Vice-Presidential Positions

The race for the four elected FIDE vice-presidential positions is attracting the greatest attention.

Initially, 19 candidacies were submitted to the FIDE office. However, the nomination of Benjamin Hoareau (Seychelles) was not considered valid because the candidate did not submit his own application. His nomination was based solely on letters of support from federations, which was insufficient under the applicable rules.

As a result, the Electoral Commission approved the following list:

* Igor Glek (Belgium)

* Georgios Mastrokoukos (Canada)

* Xu Yuhua (China)

* Yassin Suleiman Hassan (Djibouti)

Marta Fierro Baquero (Ecuador)

* Georgios Makropoulos (Greece)

* David Llada Fernandez (Spain)

* Javier Ochoa de Echaguen (Spain)

* Bharat Singh Chauhan (India)

* Willi Ikliki (Liechtenstein)

* Susan Namangale (Malawi)

* Olalekan Adeyemi (Nigeria)

* Joran Aulin-Jansson (Norway)

* Prospero A. Pichay Jr. (Philippines)

* Pavel Kolobkov (Russia)

* Fuad Fahmi Darwish (UAE)

* Michael Khodarkovsky (USA)

* Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan)

* Marta Fierro Baquero’s candidacy was included conditionally, as she is required to supplement her application with the necessary declarations.

This leaves 18 candidates competing for four positions, setting the stage for a highly competitive election.

Why Some Nominations Came Under Scrutiny

The commission separately reviewed the issue of support provided by national chess federations. It found that several federations had submitted recommendations in support of two different candidates, which is contrary to the electoral regulations. The federations concerned were Gambia, Latvia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

However, the commission noted that even after the disputed recommendations were excluded, all of the candidates concerned still had the required number of valid supporting federations.

As a result, none of the candidates was removed from the race solely because of these nomination issues.

Marta Fierro Baquero's Candidacy Draws Particular Attention

One of the most notable procedural issues in the vice-presidential section concerns Marta Fierro Baquero.

According to the Electoral Commission’s report, she was convicted by a national court in a criminal case and received a sentence of two years and six months in prison. However, based on the information cited in the report, the court ruling did not automatically result in the loss of her civil rights in her country of citizenship or residence. The commission therefore concluded that the relevant eligibility requirement had been met.

At the same time, the commission requested that Fierro Baquero supplement her application with the required declarations. This is why her candidacy appears on the list with a qualification.

The case illustrates that the publication of the valid-candidate list should not necessarily be interpreted as meaning that every procedural issue surrounding each candidate has been completely resolved.

Two Candidates for a Seat on the Constitutional Commission

Another election concerns one seat on the FIDE Constitutional Commission.

Two candidates have been nominated:

* Francois Paul Strydom (South Africa)

* Jorge Alfredo Arias Bouzada (Uruguay)

The Electoral Commission considered both candidacies valid following its preliminary review.

However, the final assessment of the candidates’ professional experience falls within the competence of the FIDE Council. This is related to the requirements governing the composition of the Constitutional Commission: its members must have relevant experience in law and the administration of justice, or sufficient experience working within FIDE structures or a national chess federation.

Only one seat is being contested in this intermediate election.

Zonal Elections Also Receive Official Candidate Lists

Another major section of the report deals with elections for FIDE Zonal Presidents.

The situation here proved more complicated. The Electoral Commission received a number of applications, but some had to be rejected because they were submitted after the deadline or because the required application was not provided.

Europe

The following candidacies were declared valid:

* Zone 1.4: Milan Roman (Slovakia)

* Zone 1.7: Toms Kalnins (Latvia)

* Zone 1.10: Paris Klerides (Cyprus)

The candidacy of Dominik Cross (Portugal) in Zone 1.1 was rejected because the application was submitted after the established deadline.

Americas

* Zone 2.3: Allan Herbert (Barbados)

* Zone 2.4: Kaiser Luis Mafra (Brazil), Victor Pimentel Mendoza (Peru)

* Zone 2.5: Alejandra Andrea Diaz Sepulveda (Chile)

Zone 2.4 is therefore the most competitive in this group, with two candidates contesting the position.

Asia

The Asian section of the list is considerably more extensive.

Zone 3.1

* Dhafer Abdulamer Madlum (Iraq)

* Sabri AbdulMaula Sallam (Yemen)

Zone 3.2

* Syed Shahab Uddin (Bangladesh)

* Malinda Seneviratne (Sri Lanka)

Zone 3.4

* Aizharqyn Shyngys Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan)

* Zafar Mirzo (Tajikistan)

* Vepa Malikgulyyev (Turkmenistan)

* Khulkar Tohirjonova (Uzbekistan)

* Khusan Turdialiyev (Uzbekistan)

Zone 3.5

* Huanyu Chen (China)

Zone 3.6

* Sean Patrick Press (Papua New Guinea)

Zone 3.7

* Sanjay Kumar Chadha (India)

Several Asian candidacies were rejected. In particular, the applications of Mohammad Motlagh Al-Otaibi, Dominik Cross, and Shadi Paridar were submitted after the established deadline. The candidacy of Godigamuwa Luxman Wijesuriya was also deemed invalid because he failed to submit the required application.

Some Zones Still Face an Open Question

The Electoral Commission highlighted another issue: in some zones, no candidates were nominated at all.

Formally, zonal elections must still take place. The commission stressed that a lack of competition, or the fact that a zone consists of only one federation, does not remove the obligation to conduct the procedure required by the regulations.

At the same time, in exceptional circumstances, if all federations in a particular zone reach a consensus and no candidates are nominated, the commission may allow a new deadline for applications — no later than September 10, 2026.

The Presidential Election Remains the Main Event

Despite the large number of candidates seeking other positions, the central contest of the electoral cycle remains the race for the FIDE presidency.

The list of valid presidential candidacies was already approved in July. Three presidential teams are taking part in the election:

1. Jan Henric Buettner — Malcolm Pein

2. Vadim Rosenstein — Gordon Tang

3. Timur Turlov — Viswanathan Anand

The vote will take place on September 26, 2026, in Samarkand, during the FIDE General Assembly. Each FIDE member federation represented at the General Assembly and the relevant Continental Assemblies has one vote.

What the Publication of the Lists Means

The publication of the valid candidacies is far more than a procedural formality. FIDE has effectively completed one of the key preparatory stages of the electoral process.

Chess federations and delegates can now assess the final field of candidates and their respective platforms. At the same time, the Electoral Commission has emphasized that preliminary approval does not prevent complaints from being submitted or individual issues from being reviewed further under the electoral regulations.

The race for the four vice-presidential positions is likely to be particularly interesting. Eighteen candidates competing for four seats represents significant competition, while the geographical diversity of the candidates highlights the effort to ensure broad representation of different regions of the global chess community within FIDE's leadership.

Final Stage Before Samarkand

Less than a month remains before the main vote, and the FIDE election campaign is gradually moving from the nomination stage into its decisive phase.

The General Assembly will not only determine the next FIDE president. Delegates will also decide the composition of several important governing bodies, shaping the federation’s leadership structure for the coming period.

The list published on August 30 makes one thing clear: the candidates have been reviewed, the main outlines of the elections have been established, and the key question is no longer “Who can participate?” but “Who will win the votes?”

The chess world will receive the final answer in Samarkand on September 26, 2026.