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Navajo President Vetoes Fluency Legislation

Deschene signs
Laurel Morales
At a Tuba City parade during last year's campaign many people held signs for Chris Deschene that said, "honor our voice."

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Navajo President Vetoes Fluency Legislation

Navajo President Vetoes Fluency Legislation

Laurel Morales

At a recent parade in Tuba City many people held signs for Chris Deschene that said, "honor our voice."

The Navajo Tribe still doesn't know if it will have a new president next week. The Navajo president has vetoed legislation that would have essentially erased the fluency requirement for that tribe’s top office. 

That amendment would have likely kept Chris Deschene on the ballot. Deschene admitted early in his campaign that he was still working on his Navajo. Two primary contenders filed complaints. That has led to weeks of turmoil over the fluency issue and who controls the electoral process. Northern Arizona University indigenous studies professor Manley Begay says it points to a bigger issue.

“This is a bit of a wake-up call to begin to really think about the place of our language in our society,” said Begay, who is a member of the Navajo Nation.

The Navajo Supreme Court has ordered election officials to print new ballots, replace Deschene’s name with the third-place finisher and postpone the election.

The Board of Elections has not complied with the ruling and now faces a legal challenge that could send them to jail.

Deschene has put his campaign on hold.

Laurel Morales was a Fronteras Desk senior field correspondent in Flagstaff from 2011 to 2020.