Regarding the voting of Members to the ASO of ICANN

  Dear fellow members,

  We write this mail because of the latest developments regarding 
  the nomination and voting of three members from the RIPE 
  community to the ICANN ASO. 

  During the RIPE 34:th meeting there was a point on the agenda 
  for the Plenary Session, 6.b - Selection of 3 Address Council 
  Members. Here three candidates where supposed to be choosen 
  by the membership from 8 nominees. 

  And here is the problem. 

  Every nominee had to fullfill the demands that was expected from 
  them. By active participation in the ICANN ASO process and to work 
  for the RIPE communitys best. 

  Those who accepted their nomination was also fully aware that 
  no financial support would come from either ICANN or RIPE. 

  During that meeting there was a change in the openess and
  fairness of the process. The meeting took a number of descisions
  regarding selection criteria among the nominees, among one was
  that the nominee was to participate in person to be able to
  be elected. 

  It is our view that selection criteria among nominees
  is something that have to be public beforehand, and especially
  known by all nominated persons. Selection criteria is something
  a nomination commitee work with, election is something a group
  of people do among a number of nominees -- normally outcome
  from a nomination comittee. During this nomination process
  there were no information that the nominated person had to be
  present at the election.

  This way to handle the voting for representatives to the ASO 
  is not done in the openess and fairness that we all expect 
  from the whole ICANN process. 

  By doing this the sitiuation could arise that some who nominated 
  himself, and only by himself, would have had a bigger chance to 
  have a seat in the ASO than someone that was supported by many 
  but at that moment where not able to attend the meeting. 

  Because of the tight time limit, the reason to not attend the 
  meeting could be anything from not be able to leave their 
  work with such a short notice, to a simple thing as sickness.

  This also shows a lack in the way that the voting proceedure 
  is performed within RIPE and the membership. 

  We are fully aware that there is a deadline that ICANN has set up 
  that all RIRs and their membership has to follow. But this 
  solution is not done in the best spirit of the Internet. 

  All the ASO representatives should attend all RIPE meetings in 
  order to get input from the RIPE community. And we fully support 
  Sabine Jaume, Hans Petter Holen and Wilfried Woeber. We also wish 
  them good luck in their work. But we only want to make all the 
  members aware of this issue and next time create a process 
  that is more fair. And to follow the voting proceedings that should 
  apply in a important issue like this.

  Best Regards

  Per Lundberg       Sonera      (se.sonera)
  Amar Andersson     Telia Net   (se.telianet)
  Hans Niklasson     Tele2       (se.swipnet)
  Maria Nilsson      Telenordia  (se.telenordia)
  Patrik Fältström