Jonathan Nez has been elected president of the Navajo Nation with a 66.4 percent of the vote (39,783 votes) over former president Joe Shirley, who had 33.6 percent (20,146 votes.) The 43-year-old president elect, who is currently the vice president, is the youngest ever elected to lead the Navajo Nation.
Nez said, “The Navajo Nation voters awoke from a deep slumber and flooded the voting polls in historic numbers. Some chapters did not have enough ballots and more had to be brought in. This is a good problem to have, especially considering the tens of thousands of Navajo voters who were purged earlier this summer. More than 40,000 registered before Election Day and they were able to cast their ballots.”
Implying that he has something very like a mandate, Nez said, “The election was a divisive experience and now the Navajo people must come back together as a nation and change our government for the benefit of our children and grandchildren.”
