Shawn Atleo has been elected to a second three-year term as national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
The voting at the AFN annual meeting in Toronto went to three ballots, but Atleo easily defeated the seven other candidates.
In the final vote, he received 341 votes out of a possible 512.
His closest opponent, Pam Palmater, finished a distant second on all three ballots.
Only four candidates were left on the third ballot — Atleo, Palmater, Diane M. Kelly and Bill Erasmus.
George Stanley and Joan Jack were eliminated after the first ballot, while Ellen Gabriel was eliminated after the second round of voting.
Fellow challenger Terrance Nelson withdrew from the race after the second ballot, and announced he was throwing his support behind Palmater.
Atleo’s supporters say a second term will give him the chance to build on his carefully cultivated, mutually respectful relationship with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
(with files from The Canadian Press)