PARIS, June 2 (Reuters) - Formula One's governing body will decide on Tuesday whether Max Mosley can remain as president after a sex scandal that has thrown the sport into turmoil.
A spokesman for the International Automobile Federation (FIA) confirmed on Monday that the 68-year-old Briton's fate will be sealed in a simple vote of confidence by secret ballot.
Motorsport associations and motoring clubs from 96 countries will cast 177 votes, including 19 proxies, at what could be a heated extraordinary meeting of the FIA's general assembly.
The full membership is some 222 strong but clubs that have not paid their dues are ineligible to vote.
The procedure is further complicated because some of the votes are split. Britain's RAC, the AA and Caravan Club, for example, each have a third of one vote, with that whole counting only if they all agree.
A poll in Britain's Guardian newspaper of 100 of the member clubs showed 37 percent wanting Mosley to resign, 25 percent for him and 29 percent refusing to comment on their intentions. The remainder were undecided or ineligible.
Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who called openly at the weekend for his long-term associate to stand down, could have a big say in convincing the waverers but Mosley also has a formidable network of allies.
TURBULENCE AHEAD
The vote leaves the FIA at a crossroads, with uncertainty and turbulence likely whichever route is taken.
Mosley has said he will resign if he loses and there will be relief in some quarters if that happens. But defeat will also bring upheaval, with no clear successor lined up and Formula One facing some big decisions about future rules and regulations.
If the FIA president wins, there is the risk of a schism within the governing body which is divided between sporting clubs and those more concerned with day-to-day motoring services.
Leading "mobility" members such as the Automobile Association of America (AAA), with 51 million members in the United States, and Germany's ADAC have come out strongly already against Mosley.
A vote for the Briton could also lead to an impasse in Formula One, with some of the manufacturer teams and leading sponsors determined to avoid his company.
Mosley has ruled out any face-saving compromise but has said he will not stand for re-election in October 2009 even if he wins the vote, with FIA vice-presidents taking over his ceremonial duties until then.
Britain's triple Formula One champion Jackie Stewart, who has repeatedly called for Mosley to go, has a $100 wager on his foe winning the vote.
Mosley has ignored calls to quit since the tabloid News of the World newspaper published details of his involvement in what was described as a Nazi-style sado-masochistic orgy with prostitutes.
More than two months since the scandal broke, overshadowing much of what has been happening on the race track, the FIA president has continued to defend his corner.
Mosley, who is suing the News of the World for invasion of privacy, will have an opportunity to address the assembly as will other members. The outcome of the vote is expected after 1200 GMT.
