Following five rounds of voting and the concession of her opponent, RoseAnne Archibald has been elected as the new chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
Archibald, a member of the Taykwa Tagamou Nation in northern Ontario, is the first woman ever elected to the role. She previously spent three years as the regional chief of Ontario within AFN.
According to CBC Indigenous, a candidate needed to receive at least 60 per cent of the 406 band council chiefs or proxies that registered to vote during AFN’s 42nd assembly.
After five rounds, Archibald had 50 per cent, while contender Reginald Bellerose had 35 per cent of the votes. Following the fifth round, Bellerose, of Muskowekwan First Nation in Saskatchewan, decided to concede the race.
The voting was held over two days.
Former National Chief Perry Bellegarde announced in December that he would not be seeking re-election.
More to come.
