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.
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 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.
Candidates who meet the above requirements can be disqualified if indicted by a federal grand jury.
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. Until 2016, candidates had to be fluent in the Navajo language; presently, fluency is to be determined by the Navajo voters when they cast ballots.
Presidential line of succession 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 President Took office Left office Tenure Party Election Vice President 1 Peterson Zah Democratic 1990 Marshall Plummer 2 Albert Hale Democratic 1994 Thomas Atcitty 3 Thomas Atcitty Democratic – Milton Bluehouse Sr. 4 Milton Bluehouse Sr. Unknown – Frank Chee Willeto 5 Kelsey Begaye Democratic 1998 Taylor McKenzie 6 Joe Shirley Jr. Democratic 2002 Frank Dayish 2006 Ben Shelly 7 Ben Shelly Democratic 2010 Rex Lee Jim 8 Russell Begaye Democratic 2014–15 Jonathan Nez 9 Jonathan Nez Democratic 2018 Myron Lizer 10 Buu Nygren Incumbent Democratic 2022 Richelle Montoya
Notes
Timeline
See also Vice President of the Navajo Nation Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council Navajo Nation Council
References
External links List of Navajo Leaders