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Real Madrid confirm start of presidential election process as Perez seeks further term
The long-term supremo at Santiago Bernabeu is seeking re-election, with the process to appoint the holder for the next four-year term now underway
Real Madrid have confirmed that club president Florentino Perez has issued the call for candidates for the club's upcoming leadership election - although the current supremo is the only candidate at present.
Los Blancos have announced that the process that will lead to elections for the next four-year cycle - running from mid-2021 through to mid-2025 - has now officially begun, as the club look to ensure they do not finish the current campaign empty-handed.
Perez, whose two separate tenures as the 15th and 18th president of Madrid combine make him the second-longest serving figure in the role, after Santiago Bernabeu, is currently expected to seal re-election unless another candidate emerges.
What has happened exactly?
"Following on from today's board meeting and in accordance with article 38, section b of the Real Madrid social statutes, the President has requested that the electoral board issue the call for elections for the President and board of directors," the club confirmed in an official statement.
In layman's terms, it means that Perez has ordered the formal start of campaigns for both his own position and those on the board at La Liga's current champions.
There is no date set for when these elections may be held, but the likelihood is that they will take place close to the middle of the year, in between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns.
Perez's reign to date
The civil engineer first took charge of Madrid in 2000, succeeding Lorenzo Sanz in the position and leading the club for six years.
In his first spell, Los Blancos grew their brand internationally but Perez stepped down in 2006, resigning after criticism that he was not focused enough on the team's on-field success.
He was succeeded by Ramon Calderon, only for him to step down in 2009 amid allegations of vote-rigging, and Perez returned, unopposed, to replace the stop-gap option of Vicente Boluda in mid-2009.
Since then, he has led Madrid to near-unmatched success across the continent, and brought in players such as Cristiano Ronaldo.
It had appeared that he would face challenges from Boluda and Enrique Riquelme as he pursues a fourth consecutive term this year, but both appear to have cooled their interest in recent weeks.
