Towtongie regains Nunavut Tunngavik’s top job

A long night: Iqaluit residents watch election results on a big screen set up inside the lobby of the Igluvut building in Iqaluit Dec. 10. All polls across Nunavut had closed by 9 p.m. eastern time and as results came in, incumbent president Cathie Towtongie maintained the lead throughout the counting period. Her victory was confirmed at around 11:30 p.m.

Cathie Towtongie, NTI’s incumbent president, held on to the organization’s top job Dec. 10 by taking about 20 per cent of the vote in an election that saw votes distributed widely among a crowded field of 11 candidates. (PHOTO COURTESY OF NTI)

The incumbent president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., Cathy Towtongie, held on to her job in a territory-wide election Dec. 10, taking 1,344 votes, or about 19.6 per cent of ballots cast.

She rode to victory by pulling in strong numbers from small communities in all three Nunavut regions, such as Arctic Bay, Sanikiluaq, Qikiqtarjuaq, Kimmirut, Chesterfield Inlet, Cambridge Bay and Kugluktuk.

David Kunuk won the vote in Iqaluit with 223, but finished in sixth place with only 558 vote across the territory.

Preliminary results show that 6,845 eligible beneficiaries cast ballots, producing a turnout of about 35 per cent.

In doing so, Towtongie turned aside challenges from second-place candidate Mikijuk Akavak, who took 919 votes and third-place candidate Manitok Thompson, who finished with 903. She’ll hold office until her term expires in 2016.

Ex-president Paul Kaludjak, who was removed from office in 2010 following a scandal involving the misuse of a credit card, finished well back with 799 votes.

Towtongie last won the job in an election held Dec. 10, 2010, when she took about 1,200 votes to defeat Terry Audla and nine other candidates.

Full results are available at the NTI election results page.

Here are the unofficial results, as of about 11:30 p.m. Dec. 10:

Cathy Towtongie 1,344

Mikijuk Akavak 919

Manitok Thompson 903

Gabriel Nirlungayuk 898

Paul Kaludjak 799

David Kunuk 558

Bernadette Niviaksiak 580

Larry Audlaluk 410

Vinnie Karetak 263

Jerry Komaksiutiksak 105

Savikataaq Ford 66

Also, in the Qikiqtani region, incumbent Joe Attagutaluk defeated Paul Irngaut for the position of secretary treasurer of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, taking 1,609 votes to Irngaut’s 1,559.

Election results for community director positions in the Baffin region are as follows:

Arctic Bay: Levi Barnabas

Cape Dorset: Olayuk Akesuk

Pond Inlet: Enookie Inuarak

Qikiqtarjuaq: Stevie Aulaqiaq.

Larry Audlaluk was acclaimed as community director in Grise Fiord and Paul Amagoalik was acclaimed in Resolute Bay.

(More to follow)