FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Navajos have voted to loosen a requirement for their top two elected officials to speak the tribe's language.
The vote Tuesday raises the possibility of the tribe electing a non-Navajo-speaking president and vice president.
The law now will state that voters can determine if candidates speak and understand the language well enough to hold office, starting with the 2018 election. Tribal courts no longer can enforce the requirement.
The vote is a victory for Navajos who rallied around a presidential candidate who was disqualified last year for failing to prove he spoke fluent Navajo. They say well-educated Navajos shouldn't be faulted for not knowing the language.
Others say not having a president speak fluent Navajo diminishes the value of the language that is not widely spoken by the younger generation.