Challenger Florentino Perez was elected president of European champions Real Madrid Sunday, defeating current president Lorenzo Sanz, all exit polls showed after the vote among some 50,000 club members.
The elections were called by Sanz on June 16th, even though his five-year mandate does not expire until June 2001.
The two candidates fought a tough campaign exchanging a wide range of insults and accusations in the highly mediatized battle.
Using the slogan "Promises made Reality" the 56-year-old Sanz, a property developer, called on voters to judge him on his record, which include two European Cup titles.
The 53-year-old Perez, who is in the construction business and failed in his previous bid in 1996, focused on the club's financial record and promised to wipe out the crippling 43 billion peseta ($242m) debt with a five-year plan.
The final day's electioneering saw Sanz accuse his opponent of vote-buying and having no experience in the world of football.
Perez accused Sanz of calling a snap election to ensure that there were no opponents and depriving club members of having their say in the future of the club - (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
