David Lappartient has vowed to increase transparency in cycling after being elected president of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

The 44-year-old Frenchman secured 37 votes to eight against 66-year-old Briton Brian Cookson, who had been in charge of world cycling's governing body since 2013.

Cookson said the UCI was “unrecognisable” from when he took over and leaves with “his head held high”. The former British Cycling president becomes the first British UCI president to serve only one term.

But Lappartient vowed to get rid of the “corruption” that has left the UCI with a “disastrous reputation”.

“It is a great responsibility and I will endeavour in the next four years to be worthy of such trust,” said Lappartient. He promised to increase the transparency of the UCI, boost the governing body's solidarity efforts and put the UCI at the service of national federations.

Other priorities include developing women's cycling and creating a better economic model for men's professional cycling.

“I believe we have to continue to develop cycling for all the disciplines, specifically women's cycling," Lappartient said. “It is something very important and we are in a good way after the last four years, but we have to continue.

“I am also looking to work with men's road cycling and we have been able to have a reform agreement with the stakeholders, but really I think it was a small compromise. We need to bring and deliver a better economic model for cycling, which will be an aim for the next four years.”

The vote took place at the UCI Congress in Bergen, Norway, which is hosting the Road World Championships. The 45 voting delegates also voted in favour of granting Anguilla, Curaçao, Saint Martin and Guinea-Bissau official membership of the UCI, taking its total membership to 190 National Federations.

The Congress elected the following UCI Management Committee for the next four years:

• Dr Mohamed Wagih Azzam (EGY) as President of the CAC

• Ms Tracey Gaudry (AUS) as President of the OCC

• Mr Osama Ahmed Abdullah Al Shafar (UAE) as President of the ACC

• Mr José Manuel Pelaez (CUB) as President of the COPACI

• Mr Amarjit Singh Gill Darshan Singh (MAS) representing the ACC

• Mr Mohammed Ben El Mahi (MAR) representing the CAC

• Mr Bob Stapleton (USA) representing the COPACI

• Mr Tony Mitchell (NZL) representing the OCC

• Mr Artur Lopes (POR) representing the UEC

• Mr Renato Di Rocco (ITA) representing the UEC

• Mr Igor Makarov (RUS) representing the UEC

• Mr José Luis Lopez Cerron (ESP) representing the UEC

• Mr Toni Kirsh (GER) representing the UEC

• Mr Tom Van Damme (BEL) representing the UEC

• Mr Harald Tiedemann Hansen (NOR) representing the UEC.