THUNDER BAY -- Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler will not be the next Assembly of First Nations national chief.
Fiddler instead threw his support behind former Ontario regional chief Roseanne Archibald.
"After much reflection and in consultation with family and Elders, I have decided to support RoseAnne Archibald as the next national Chief in recognition of how important it is that a woman lead in the current circumstances. I encourage those who voted for me to support her," Fiddler said in a statement on his Twitter account.
Fiddler received 21 per cent of the ballots in the second round of voting and could have stuck around for Round 4, but instead asked his supporters to vote for Archibald, who received 31 per cent of the votes in Round 2 and 36.1 percent on the third ballot
Fiddler slipped to 18 per cent in Round 3
Saskatchewan's Reginald Bellrose was the leader on the second ballot, with 34 per cent of the vote.
Bellrose and Archibald are the only two candidates left in the race, which is expected to be decided on Thursday afternoon.
Fiddler earlier this year elected not to run for another term as NAN grand chief.
