Winners of many election races in Kivalliq unknown early Tuesday
Outcome in only 1 of 6 constituencies in region was clear 6 hours after polls closed
Hannah Angootealuk, left, and Solomon Malliki are running to represent the Aivilik riding in the Oct. 27 territorial election. (Photos courtesy of Hannah Angootealuk and Solomon Malliki)
After a long election night that stretched into the early morning, and with voting results in several ridings still unreported as of 2 a.m. ET Tuesday, Baker Lake incumbent Craig Simailak emerged as the winner in one of the only reported victories in the Kivalliq Region.
Simailak received 268 votes while his opponent, Simeon Mikkungwak, finished with 242, according to unofficial results from the Elections Nunavut website, a difference of just 26 votes.
Simailak is a former justice minister who resigned from cabinet in 2023 due to family reasons.
In the Aivilik riding, Hannah Angootealuk appeared to be on her way to winning comfortably with 255 votes, followed by incumbent Solomon Malliki who got 46 votes.
As of 2 a.m. ET, the Elections Nunavut website indicated all four polls had reported results. However, there were zero votes listed from the fourth poll, in Naujaat, so it was not clear if the vote count was complete.
The race for Arviat North-Whale Cove was shaping up as a nailbiter, after two of four polls for reported incumbent John Main,Nunavut’s health minister for the past four years, with 137 votes was being trailed by newcomer Tony Uluadluak with 90 votes.
In the early hours Tuesday, however, the situation was unchanged with no results reported still by the other two polls.
In Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield Inlet, Cathy Q. Towtongie got off to an early lead when the constituency became the first in the Kivalliq Region to report vote counts.
By early Tuesday, again, the situation remained largely unchanged with Towtongie having garnered 46 votes while incumbent MLA Alexander Sammurtok was close behind with 32.
The slow trickle of results from Elections Nunavut made for a long evening in the Kivalliq Region. As of 2 a.m. Tuesday, the results for two constituencies had not been posted.
In Arviat South, candidates Jamie Kablutsiak and Alana Kuksuk still not heard any results from Elections Nunavut as of 2 a.m. ET.
Meanwhile in Rankin Inlet South, all three candidates — Gerry Anawak, Tagak Curley and Annie Tattuinee — were also still waiting to hear some word of any results by 2 a.m. ET.
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