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KITIKMEOT - Residents of the Kitikmeot region will be heading to the polls next Monday to elect a new president of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association (KIA).

The election is being held after former president Joe Otokiak resigned from the position in May.

At the time he was elected, Otokiak was serving a suspended sentence for assault. When the information became public, a petition was circulated in the region demanding he resign.

Otokiak is running for president again.

Fred Pederson, chief returning officer for the KIA, said Otokiak had to resign because of a bylaw that made him ineligible to hold office.

"There was a change being made to our bylaws regarding the eligibility of candidates," said Pederson. "The old bylaw said anyone with a criminal conviction in the last five years was ineligible."

The bylaw had been changed a year before the election, however, it had not been made official by Nunavut's registrar.

The new bylaw now only prohibits those who have been convicted of an indictable offence in the past five years from holding office.

Since Otokiak's assault conviction was a less-serious summary offence, he is eligible to run, said Pederson.

Otokiak said he has only heard complaints from some within government about his decision to run again.

"Someone in government must be afraid of me getting elected," said Otokiak last Wednesday.

Otokiak said he believed what happened in his past should not linger on forever. He added that elders have encouraged him to run.

"When something happens in one person's life that might not be acceptable amongst family members or community members or elders, it is dealt with at the time it happens and then it is left alone and people are nurtured for their good," he said.

Pederson said all candidates were required to submit criminal record checks with their nomination papers.

The other seven candidates vying for KIA president are Charlie Evalik, Jason Ross, Joe Allen Evyagotailak, Peter Taptuna, Joseph Aglukkaq, Paul Ikaullaq and Noah Siutnnuaq.

Evalik served as KIA president for three terms, from 1996 until 2005.

Evyagotailak left his position as MLA for Kugluktuk weeks before the last sitting of the second legislative assembly to throw his hat in the ring.

The president of the KIA provides leadership to the board and is responsible for its strategic direction.

There is also a byelection for the position of Kugluktuk board member, after a board member resigned to take employment with another organization. The four candidates running are Margo Kadlun-Jones, Jack Kaniak, Angele Kuliktana and Catherine Kunelok.

Any Kitikmeot beneficiary who is a Canadian citizen, older than 16 and enrolled or eligible to enrol under the land claim agreement is able to vote in the election.

Advanced polling begin today from 1 to 5 p.m., with election day taking place Sept. 22.