Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata said she has secured the votes to become the next Council president.

Coletta Zapata, chair of the powerful Government Operations Committee, announced Monday that she has the City Council presidency locked down, holding off a challenge from Brian Worrell and a late push from Julia Mejia.

“I’m proud to have had the privilege of serving the residents of Boston for eight years with the City Council,” Coletta Zapata said in a statement. “I deeply believe in this institution and in the vital role we play in improving the lives of Bostonians every day.

“The strength of this Council lies in our ability to respect one another, even when we disagree, and to work together with purpose and integrity. When we lead with respect and unity, we model the kind of civic leadership our city deserves — and we get more done for the residents who count on us.”

Coletta Zapata, an ally of Mayor Michelle Wu who represents East Boston, Charlestown, the North End and Wharf District, said she was “proud to have earned the respect and support of my colleagues on the Council and I look forward to the work ahead.”

Brian Worrell, chair of the Council’s Ways and Means Committee and the body’s vice president, was also jockeying for the presidency. Councilor-at-Large Julia Mejia made a late push last week, publicly announcing her bid for the position.

Worrell and Coletta Zapata were rewarded for their support of the Council President Ruthzee Louijeune last term, with the Council’s top two committee chair assignments.

Louijeune has committed to voting for Coletta Zapata, a source told the Herald. Seven votes are needed to be elected as the body’s president.

Councilor-at-Large Henry Santana, who held off a comeback bid from former Councilor Frank Baker in last week’s election and finished fourth in the at-large race, will serve as vice president.

“Gabriela and I first met when we were both staffers on the City Council and from day one, I’ve watched her grow, lead and deliver for our city,’ Santana said in a statement. “I know she will be an exceptional president — thoughtful, committed, and determined to unite our Council and move Boston forward in every neighborhood.”

Coletta Zapata was raised by community advocates in East Boston, and her upbringing included attending neighborhood meetings and events, and multiple protests against airport runway expansion with her mother, Nina.

She was first elected to the City Council in a special election, to replace then-Councilor and now-state Senator Lydia Edwards in May 2022. Prior to joining the Council, she worked as Edwards’ chief of staff.

Coletta Zapata is chair of the Government Operations Committee, which plays a key role in finalizing legislation proposed by the mayor and Council. An ally of Mayor Wu, she helped to shepherd Wu’s tax shift legislation through the Council in its latest iteration, but the home rule petition has fallen flat at the State House.

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Should Worrell or Mejia accept a nomination from one of their colleagues for the Council presidency at the body’s first meeting of the next term in early January, it would be the first contested vote in recent years.

In 2014, then-Councilor Wu famously cast her vote to help a conservative candidate, Bill Linehan, get elected president, drawing blowback from progressives. Linehan defeated then-Councilor and now U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, by an 8-5 vote.

Two years later, the progressive Wu was unanimously elected as Council president.