FEI presidential candidate Henk Rottingshuis received 11 votes of a total 124 valid ballots and lost his campaign to current president Princess Haya and fellow contestant Sven Holmberg for presidential election at the FEI General Assembly in Taipei.
To Rottinghuis, the voting results were baffling. "I was surprised, judging on the enthusiasm over my analysis and agenda," Rottinghuis told Eurodressage exclusively. "I assumed that from that enthusiasm and my appeal to at least show that in the first round."
Looking onto his own campaign Rottinghuis admitted that he did not focus enough on the essential lobbying. "I concentrated too much on content and too little on pressing hands," he said. "I think I am not much of a politician."
Henk revealed that he does not want to expose himself a second time to the process of FEI presidential election. "Since I discovered I am short on political skills and content seemed less important than I had hoped for I think it is unwise to stand again," he admitted to Eurodressage. "I also set my self a limit of support which was not reached. I think there was no signal convincing enough to try again. If many people tell you are the one the FEI needs but they do not vote for it it is senseless to go through the same experience again. Beside it happened to fit in my life just now but I will move on and so will the FEI."
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