DORTMUND (dpa-AFX) - Hans-Joachim Watzke has been elected president of Borussia Dortmund, but has been given a clear warning. The 66-year-old received only 59 percent of the votes at the club's general meeting. Of the 238,000 members, only 4,476 took part in the election.

Watzke had previously been given a standing ovation by the 1,951 members present at the Westfalenhalle after almost 21 years as managing director of Borussia Dortmund's BVB capital company. "There is a lot of sadness involved," said Watzke. He was the only candidate on the election committee after the incumbent president, Reinhold Lunow, withdrew his original candidacy.

Things got emotional between Watzke and Lunow

At the general meeting, there was a grand public reconciliation between the former adversaries. "Dear Reinhold Lunow: You always supported me and were there when we were staring into the abyss. I would like to thank you very much for that today," said Watzke.

Lunow was moved. "We have done many things together. The fact that there have been difficulties lately, that we have been driven apart, was not necessarily our personal fault. It was also due to people around us who fueled it. That was unnecessary," said the 72-year-old through tears, before falling into Watzke's arms.

Lunow's surprise candidacy had sparked a public dispute in the summer. Fan club chairman Tobias Westerfellhaus spoke of "questionable twists and turns in an election campaign that in the end was not an election campaign" and received widespread approval for his comments. "These months have shown that our club urgently needs change," said Westerfellhaus.

Technical problems delay the election

Watzke's election was delayed due to technical problems. As a result, the entire event started an hour late. To enable all members to vote digitally, the meeting was held in a hybrid format for the first time. However, the technology initially failed, so the agenda was changed and individual items were brought forward without a vote.

Former BVB treasurer Watzke joined the management of the corporation in 2005. His tenure has seen the economic restructuring and sporting resurgence of BVB, with two championships, three cup wins, and two appearances in the Champions League final.