Article 7 – WUKO CONGRESS

1. The WUKO Congress represents the top ranking body of the WUKO and has supreme status in the framework of the statutory regulations.  This body examines and therefore judges the activities of the WUKO based on the items on the Agenda and adopts the relative resolutions.
2. The Ordinary Elective Congress shall meet every four years at the time of the Senior World Championships.  The Meeting shall be called by the WUKO-DC and be convened by the President.  The calls to parties entitled to participate shall be forwarded by means of a federal circular to all the member Federations/Associations at least 60 days before the date foreseen for the Meeting, moreover they shall be published on the WUKO's Internet Web Site.  The notices of call shall contain details of the date, time and place the Congress will be held and the items on the Agenda.
3. An Extraordinary Congress may be convened at the initiative of the WUKO-DC or further to a written and motivated request from a number of Associations representing at least 50% plus one of the votes assigned to the Associations which have been WUKO members for at least 24 months, provided they are affiliate members for the current year.  The Extraordinary Congress shall be convened adopting the same procedures as adopted for the Ordinary Congress and the Congress, if called at the request of the affiliate Associations, shall be held within 90 days from the date the last valid request that satisfies the required minimum was received by WUKO by registered letter.  In the Extraordinary Congresses affiliate Associations shall have the same number of votes assigned to them in the last Ordinary Congress.
4. The following parties shall be entitled to participate lawfully in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Congress:

a)     Presidents of Associations that have been affiliated for at least 24 months. Presidents of Associations may delegate another card-holding member of the Association to represent them with a written power of attorney.  Such representatives shall hold a power of attorney duly signed by the President of the Association or signed by the person lawfully delegated thereby.  Associations shall be affiliated within and not later than 31st December of the preceding year to be eligible to participate in the Ordinary or Extraordinary Congress;

b)    Founder Members;

c)     The President of the WUKO, the Vice-Presidents, the General Secretary and the Members of the Board of Auditors, the honorary members;

d)    The Sports Judge;

e)     Members of the Appeal Commission

f)     Chairmens of the Continental Committees;

g)    Members of the Commissions;

1. The Presidents of Affiliate Associations and the Founder Members may also be represented by a Manager of another Association or by another Founder Member, but the power of attorney may be conferred only on a person who is entitled to participate in the Congress, even if the person in question is a member of another Association.  No person may represent more than 1 Founder Member or more than one affiliate Association, in addition to its own.  Persons that have been given a disciplinary penalty that is still applicable shall not be permitted to participate in the Congress.
2. Voting rights shall be given only to the Presidents of Associations or to their representatives and to Founder Members who shall be entitled to the number of votes laid down in Article 24 of this Statute.
3. Powers shall be verified by the Board of Auditors that also acts as the vote counting commission when votes are cast.
4. The President, or the 1st Vice-President in his absence (established in the following order: the greater the number of votes obtained in the last Elective Meeting, in the case of ex aequo: the elective seniority, age) shall proceed to open officially the Congress and invite the Board of Auditors to declare the number of persons present with voting rights and the number of votes each person may cast.  Subsequently, shall invite the Congress to appoint the Congress Chairman and Deputy-Chairman who shall immediately assume the relative powers.  Outgoing members of the WUKO-DC shall not be elected as Chairman and Deputy-Chairman of the Congress.  The Secretary General shall be the lawful Secretary to the Congress.
5. The Congress:

a)     Examines the activities performed during the preceding four-year period via the technical-ethical and financial report drawn up by the WUKO-DC and shall express its vote with a nominal call or by raise of hand.

b)    Establishes the general principles to carry out the activities.

c)     Approves amendments to the Statute, if any.

d)    Ratifies the Regulations.

e)     Elects the President of the WUKO by general vote.

f)     Elects 6 (six) Vice-Presidents as Members of the WUKO Directing Committee, as well as the Members of the Board of Auditors.

Elections shall be held by secret ballot and simple majority