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President of the Navajo Nation

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President of the Navajo Nation
Diné Binantʼaʼí  (Navajo)
Great Seal of the Navajo Nation
Incumbent
Buu Nygren
since January 10, 2023
ResidenceWindow Rock, Arizona
Term lengthFour years, renewable once
Constituting instrumentNavajo Nation Code & Treaty of 1868
Inaugural holderPeterson Zah
FormationJanuary 15, 1991
Salary55,000.00 USD per year
WebsiteOffice of the President and Vice President of the Navajo Nation

The president of the Navajo Nation is the executive branch of the Navajo Nation. The office succeeded that of the tribal chairman, being created during the 1991 restructuring of the Navajo national government. The president and vice president are elected every four years. The Navajo Nation president may serve no more than two consecutive terms.[1]

The shortest presidency was that of Thomas Atcitty, who acceded to the presidency upon the resignation of Albert Hale in February 1998; Atcitty served for 154 days before being removed by the Navajo Nation Council for violating ethics codes. The longest presidency was that of Joe Shirley Jr., who served nearly eight years from 2003 to 2011; Shirley is currently the only president to have been elected to more than one term.

The incumbent president is Buu Nygren, who took office on January 10, 2023, after winning the 2022 election.

Eligibility

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According to the Navajo Election Administration, to be eligible to run for Navajo Nation president, candidates must:

  • Be a registered voter, a member of the Navajo Nation, and be on the agency census roll of the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
  • Be at least 30 years of age;
  • Not have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor involving crimes of deceit, untruthfulness, or dishonesty within the previous five years;
  • Not be employed by the Navajo Nation or the United States, nor be an elected official of the United States.[1]

Candidates who meet the above requirements can be disqualified if indicted by a federal grand jury.[1]

Until 1990, candidates had to have served in an elected Navajo Nation office. Until 2006, candidates had to have permanent residence and been physically present in the Navajo Nation for at least three years prior to the election.[1] Until 2016, candidates had to be fluent in the Navajo language;[2] presently, fluency is to be determined by the Navajo voters when they cast ballots.[1]

Presidential line of succession

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The Navajo Nation Code defines who may become or act as president upon the absence of a sitting president or a president-elect. Should the president, under circumstances outlined in the Navajo Nation Code at §1005(d)-1006, be unable to serve out his full term, then the vice president shall act in his place for the remainder of the term, or until the president is able to resume his duties. §1006 of the Code instructs, that in the event a vacancy should "occur in the Office of President and Vice President, the Speaker shall serve as President of the Navajo Nation until a special election is held." The speaker does not relinquish his speaker duties whilst acting as interim president.

List of presidents

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No. President Took office Left office Tenure Party[a] Election Vice President[b]
1 Peterson Zah
(1937–2023)
[3][4]		 January 15, 1991 January 10, 1995 3 years, 360 days Democratic 1990 Marshall Plummer[c]
2 Albert Hale
(1950–2021)
[4][5]		 January 10, 1995 February 19, 1998[d] 3 years, 40 days Democratic 1994 Thomas Atcitty
3 Thomas Atcitty
(1933–2020)
[5][6]		 February 19, 1998 July 23, 1998[e] 154 days Democratic – Milton Bluehouse Sr.[c]
4 Milton Bluehouse Sr.
(1936–2019)
[6][7]		 July 24, 1998[f] January 12, 1999 172 days Unknown – vacant through
August 1998
Frank Chee Willeto[c]
5 Kelsey Begaye
(1951–2021)
[7]		 January 12, 1999 January 14, 2003 4 years, 2 days Democratic 1998 Taylor McKenzie[c]
6 Joe Shirley Jr.
(born 1947)
[8]		 January 14, 2003 January 11, 2011 7 years, 362 days Democratic 2002 Frank Dayish[c]
2006 Ben Shelly
7 Ben Shelly
(1947–2023)		 January 11, 2011 May 12, 2015 4 years, 121 days Democratic 2010 Rex Lee Jim[c]
8 Russell Begaye
(born 1951)		 May 12, 2015 January 15, 2019 3 years, 248 days Democratic 2014–15 Jonathan Nez
9 Jonathan Nez
(born 1975)		 January 15, 2019 January 10, 2023 3 years, 360 days Democratic 2018 Myron Lizer[g]
10 Buu Nygren
(born 1986)		 January 10, 2023 Incumbent[h] 3 years, 231 days Democratic 2022 Richelle Montoya[c]

Notes

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  1. ↑ Presidential elections in the Navajo Nation are nonpartisan. The parties listed here are for informational purposes only.
  2. ↑ Vice presidents belong to the same party as the presidents they served under, unless noted.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Political affiliation is unknown.
  4. ↑ Hale resigned in order to avoid facing prosecution for 50 felonies and misdemeanors related to theft and bribery.[5][6]
  5. ↑ Atcitty was removed by the Navajo Nation Council for violating ethics codes.[6]
  6. ↑ Kelsey Begaye, the incumbent speaker of the Navajo Nation Council, was initially appointed interim president by the Council on July 23, 1998. When Vice President Bluehouse threatened legal action, the Council appointed him interim president the next day.[6]
  7. ↑ Represented the Republican Party.
  8. ↑ Nygren ran unsuccessfully for re-election. His term is set to expire on January 12, 2027.

Timeline

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Buu NygrenJonathan NezRussell BegayeBen ShellyJoe Shirley Jr.Kelsey BegayeMilton Bluehouse Sr.Thomas AtcittyAlbert HalePeterson Zah

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Navajo Election Administration. "Qualifications for Navajo Nation President and Vice-President" (PDF). Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  2. ↑ Fonseca, Felicia (September 11, 2014). "Language factors into race for Navajo president". Houston Chronicle.
  3. ↑ "Democracy Era Begins For Largest U.S. Tribe". The New York Times. 1991-01-17. Retrieved 2012-07-07.
  4. 1 2 "President-elect Albert Hale Plans Changes For Navajos". Kingman Daily Miner. Associated Press. 1995-01-09. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  5. 1 2 3 Becenti, Deenise (1998-02-20). "With Law on Heels, Navajo Boss Quits; Hale Steps Down As Navajo Boss". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Navajo name new president - again; Bluehouse appointed". Kingman Daily Miner. Associated Press. 1998-07-26. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  7. 1 2 Rushlo, Michelle (1999-12-12). "Navajo inauguration is all-day event". Eugene Register-Guard (page 3A). Associated Press. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  8. ↑ "Navajo inauguration is all-day event". Indianz.com. 2003-01-08. Retrieved 2012-07-09.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
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