Photo: Meet the Qikiqtani Inuit Association’s new president

Meet Pauloosie (PJ) Akeeagok, 30, the new president-elect of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association. Following a lengthy recount held on the afternoon of Dec. 14, Akeeagok, with 756 votes, emerged as the victor over second-place finisher Mikidjuk Akavak, whose final vote count, 754, left him two votes behind. Akeeagok has worked as assistant executive director at the QIA since September 2013 and before that, as assistant director of communications at Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. “As my campaign stated, we must unite and bring QIA closer to Inuit. We must first reconnect QIA to beneficiaries in advancing our goals. This will be my first objective,” Akeeagok said in a Facebook post. The chief returning officer for the QIA election had ordered the mandatory recount after unofficial results Dec. 8 put Mikidjuk in the lead with 758 votes over Akeeagok’s 755. Read more later on Nunatsiaqonline.ca. (PHOTO BY JIM BELL)