George Morgan elected chief of Liard First Nation
Election takes place 6 months after term of former chief and council ends
George Morgan has been elected the new chief of the Liard First Nation, with the unofficial election results for the First Nation coming in late Monday.
Returning officer Collen Craft said Morgan had 203 votes. He defeated former chief Daniel Morris who had 102 votes. She said results will be made official in about two weeks, some of the councillor positions have to be recounted.
"I want to thank all those who supported me and gave me encouragement through this long and difficult process of ensuring our democracy prevails," Morgan said in an email to CBC News.
"To our members who voted for me, I want to say I consider the trust that you have placed in me a sacred trust and I will do my very best to justify your faith," he said.
Monday's election was controversial, with conflicting messages from the former deputy chief and elections officials early in the day about whether the election had been postponed.
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It took six months for the Liard First Nation, based in Watson Lake, Yukon, to hold this election.
Though the term for the previous council ended in December, former chief Daniel Morris and two remaining councillors held onto power. The election had been delayed "intentionally" in order to investigate previous leaders, they said.
Seven other people were elected Monday to serve on the new council, including: Fred Lutz as deputy chief, Harlan Schilling and Malcom Groat as B.C. councillors and Alfred Chief, Travis Stewart, Kathy Magun and Dawn McDonald as Yukon councillors.