Cindy Woodhouse new Assembly of First Nations national chief

OTTAWA — Cindy Woodhouse is the new national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

The Manitoba regional chief was tapped to lead the political advocacy organization after her closest challenger, David Pratt, conceded.

After six separate rounds of voting on Wednesday, Woodhouse had collected 50.8 per cent of the registered vote — short of the 60 per cent threshold needed for victory.

Pratt, vice-chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, did not concede as expected after the fourth ballot, or the fifth or sixth.

That concession came this morning as those gathered at the special chiefs assembly in downtown Ottawa were set to vote in a seventh round.

The election was called to replace former national chief RoseAnne Archibald, who was ousted over the findings of an investigation into complaints from five staff members about her conduct.

As SooToday reported last night, Dean Sayers, former chief Batchewana First Nation, placed fourth in the race, dropping out after the fourth ballot.

The Canadian Press