Jean Todt has been elected the new president of the FIA following a landslide victory over Ari Vatanen.

In a secret ballot at Paris' Intercontinental Hotel, former Ferrari team principal Todt claimed 135 votes compared to the 49 polled for former World Rally champion Vatanen, with 12 abstentions/invalid votes.

Todt takes up the position vacated by Max Mosley whose 16-year reign finally comes to an end, and who had publicly backed the Frenchman as his successor.

The votes were counted in private by the FIA legal department, under the supervision of scrutineers proposed by the two presidential candidates and designated by the General Assembly.

The entire voting procedure was also supervised by an external Huissier de Justice, a French state-appointed public witness.

The margin of victory underlined a previously contentious remark made by Mosley in a letter to HRH Prince Feisal of Jordan, one of Vatanen's nominations as vice-president.

In the letter Mosley stated Vatanen "would lose the election and lose badly".

That sparked outrage from the Finn who last week threatened legal action given the apparent lobbying taking place behind the scenes within the FIA on behalf of Todt, only to withdraw it this week.

Although Vatanen argued he was the candidate for change, and that Todt would be nothing more than a Mosley clone, the latter always had the strength of support.

Alongside Mosley, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone voiced his backing for the 53-year-old, who began his motor sport career as a rally driver.

As part of Todt's team, Nick Craw, who is president of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, becomes president of the FIA senate.

The deputy president of automobile mobility and tourism is Brian Gibbons, the chief executive of the New Zealand Automobile Association.

Deputy president for sport is Graham Stoker, the council chairman of the UK's Motor Sports Association.