Cindy Woodhouse was elected National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), achieving victory while runner-up David Pratt resigned on Thursday, avoiding the seventh round of voting.

So far, there is no National Chief for the AFN after 6 ballots.

Woodhouse, the regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) in Manitoba, received the support of 50.8 percent of the 461 registered voting delegates, while Pratt, the first deputy chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations in Saskatchewan, received 39.3 percent support in the sixth ballot on Wednesday night at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa.

As per the Assembly's charter, a candidate must receive 60 percent of the votes to win. The ballot had to end as the conference center was scheduled to close at midnight.

Woodhouse, from the Bunimotang First Nation in Manitoba, served as a negotiator for the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) in settling the $23 billion class-action lawsuits related to child and family services reached in Canada last year.

She replaces Rose Anne Archibald in the largest national advocacy organization for Indigenous peoples in Canada, after the Ontario Cree leader was ousted earlier this year, following allegations of harassment and two uprisings led by regional leaders.

The unrest in the council is not unfamiliar to Woodhouse, as she was one of the regional leaders who recommended Archibald’s dismissal before announcing her candidacy for the seat.

Woodhouse also called for a return to stability, citing her experience serving under former national leaders Perry Bellegarde and Shawn Atleo, and developing a platform focusing on issues such as child care, justice, policing, economic development, and infrastructure.