Roberta Joseph has been reelected to a third term as chief of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, with unofficial results showing she received more than double the number of votes as the runner-up candidate.
Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in held its by-election for chief on Aug. 6.
The election had originally been scheduled to take place in April but was postponed after all three candidates at the time willingly withdrew their names in response to concerns related to COVID-19.
Four people ran for chief in the by-election.
According to unofficial results released after polls closed at 8 p.m., Joseph received 144 votes. Runner-up Majida Lord received 57, while Ryan Peterson received 47 and Babe Titus received 28.
Joseph will join councillors Ryan Peterson, Clara Van Bibber and Darren Bullen as well as deputy chief Simon Nagano, all of whom were acclaimed to their positions earlier this year.
All will serve a three-year term.
Joseph was first elected chief in 2013, and reelected in 2017.
In a Facebook post leading up to election day, Joseph said her goals included continuing to improve education, health, social and cultural needs, increasing opportunities though sustainable economic development and promoting youth participation in government.
Contact Jackie Hong at jackie.hong@yukon-news.com
A previous version of this story said a councillor position was vacant. This was incorrect; while the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in council previously had four councillor positions, the First Nation has since changed its constitution to have three councillors, one deputy chief and one chief. The News regrets the error.