Danailov: 'Are we going to murder ECU with political dependence?'

"What I see are two of the candidates becoming victims of political games, tying themselves and the future of European chess with the choice of one or another personality for FIDE President", says Silvio Danailov in his official statement for running for President of the European Chess Union (ECU) which was sent to chess media this morning.

Are we going to murder ECU with political dependence?

By Silvio Danailov , Candidate for ECU President

The elections for European Chess Union President are dawning upon us. The intentions of the candidates and their teams in the campaigns are now clear. What is also clear is that the faith of the European chess will depend on in which hands we will decide to surrender it.

Now, just days before the final dash, is the right time for us to stop and rethink what has been said and done by the candidates for the Presidential position. To have a sober judgment on whether they are offering real things or soap bubbles, whether they are capable of fulfilling their promises and, of the very most importance, whether they are telling the truth.

Regretfully, the facts are very disturbing. What I see are two of the candidates becoming victims of political games, tying themselves and the future of European chess with the choice of one or another personality for FIDE President. As to clarify, Mr. Ali Nihat Yazici does not keep his relationship with Mr. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov secret and neither does Mr.Robert von Weizsa?cker with the other candidate for FIDE Presidency - Mr. Anatoly Karpov.

Is this what we want – political equilibrists, puppets on strings, whose decisions and actions will follow third party interests, remaining deaf to the actual needs of the European federations? Is this what we want - the faith of the ECU to be decided not by the European federations, but by FIDE clerks? Apart from being contrary to common sense, an eventual choice of one of the two politically dependent candidates is in full dissonance with the characteristic of the EU geopolitical emancipation – Europe to solve its problems not under the command of, but with the cooperation of the other world factors.

The pre-election outwitting is at its peak. Candidates are giving their pre-election promises – one is offering to the European federations 300 thousand dollars a year, another is proposing to cover travelling expenses for FIDE Executive Board and General Assembly. There is a catch - please notice that this will happen if and only if after winning the ECU Presidency the corresponding partner of theirs is elected for FIDE President. But what if the candidate for FIDE President in question is not elected? There is no plan B!

Upon us is the moment for an important and responsible decision – what person do we want for President of our organization? Political equilibrists, who are experienced only in giving beautiful promises, who once elected will begin to explain beautifully why they cannot fulfill their campaign promises? Or an independent candidate and a businessman with professional team, who will turn the ECU in a working and profitable organization, without putting its future at stake depending on political games and pretty lies.

I am convinced that you, just like I, want to have a strong and independent ECU, belonging to the European federations. That is why I appeal to you to be extremely careful in your choice because the future of European chess in the coming four years will depend on it. Will we murder ECU with political dependence? Together we can change the chess politics, together we can eliminate the strictly political factor and walk towards an independent European Chess Union. European Chess Union which will closely cooperate with FIDE for the benefit of chess stakeholders as a self-sufficient partner, not as a subordinate or dependent.