Benigno Repeki Fitial (born November 27,1945) is a Northern Marianan politician who served was the sixth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. The second longest-serving governor in CNMI history,Fitial was elected on November 6,2005,assumed office on January 9,2006,and was re-elected to a (five-year) second term in 2009. He was impeached by the CNMI House of Representatives on February 11,2013,and was scheduled to face trial before the CNMI Senate to determine if he should be removed from office.[1] He resigned on February 20,2013,after 7 years,1 month,and 11 days in office.
Fitial founded the Covenant Party in 2001 after leaving the Republican Party.[2] He rejoined the Republican Party on January 5,2011,announcing that his goal would be to merge the Covenant Party back into the Republican Party.[2]
Fitial was the first governor in any US territory or commonwealth to be impeached and only the 13th governor in the history of the United States. On February 11 &12,2013 the CNMI House of Representatives voted to impeach Fitial on 18 different charges contained in Articles of Impeachment.[3] The charges include neglect of duties,commission of felonies and abuse of power.
Rather than facing an impeachment trial before the CNMI Senate which was set for March 7,2013,Benigno Repeki Fitial became the first governor in CNMI history to resign from office on February 20,2013.[4] In his resignation letter he cited "personal health" reasons and the "best interests of the Commonwealth".
The former governor is married to Josie Fitial (née Padiermos),a Filipino who as a contract worker in 1983 moved to the CNMI,where Filipinos outnumber residents of all Pacific Islander ethnicities combined.[8][9] Padiermos,like many Filipinos,moved abroad for employment to send financial support to family members still in the Philippines.[10] The couple met while she was working as a waitress on Saipan.[11] They have two children together,Patrick and Christina,in addition to Benigno Fitial's four children from a previous marriage,Jason,Cathy,Junella and Julie. [10]
Fitial has described himself in the past as a "good friend" of convicted U.S. lobbyist Jack Abramoff,who caused some controversy in both the Commonwealth and Washington. As vice president of Tan Holdings,Fitial worked closely with Abramoff,who had the family textile conglomerate as a consistent client.[12]
Fitial and his wife are residents of Gualo Rai,Saipan.
Fitial is a former member of the Republican Party,and served as the chairman of the Republican Party in the CNMI.[13][14]
Fitial left the Republican Party,and founded his own political party,the Covenant Party in 2001.[13] He used the Covenant Party as a vehicle to run for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in the 2001 gubernatorial election with his running mate,then-Education Commissioner Rita Inos.[13][15] However,Fitial was defeated in a landslide by the Republican ticket of Juan N. Babauta and his running mate,Diego Benavente. The Babauta-Benavente ticket received 5,512 votes,the largest number of votes ever received by a gubernatorial candidate in history to date.[13][16]
Fitial was the seventh governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). He defeated independent candidate Heinz Hofschneider and incumbent Republican Governor Juan N. Babauta during the 2005 gubernatorial election with 28.1 percent of the total vote after absentee ballots were counted.[17] The 2005 gubernatorial election margin of victory of 84 votes was the closest in the history of the Commonwealth.[7] Fitial and his running mate,Lieutenant GovernorTimothy P. Villagomez were sworn into office on January 9,2006.
Fitial faced challenges during his first term as governor,including budget shortfalls,a weak economy even before the Financial crisis of 2007–2010,declining Japanesetourism,electrical power generation failures,and the long-proposed federalization of CNMI immigration that was eventually enacted. Pub.L. 110–229,tit. VII (May 8,2008). Fitial appointed as his Special Legal Counsel Howard P. Willens,who had represented the Marianas Political Status Commission from 1972 to 1975 in negotiating the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America,Act of Mar. 24,1976,Pub. L. 94-241,90 Stat. 263,codified as amended at 48 U.S.C. §1801 note.
Some observers and local publications (such as the Marianas Variety) accused Fitial of concentrating power in his office.[19] This included a decision made to abolish the autonomy of at least two government agencies,with their functions being transferred to the executive.[20] The governor and his supporters asserted that drastic measures need to be taken to cut excessive government spending during the tenure of the previous governor,Juan Babauta.[12][21]
Fitial meets with United States Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne on Saipan,CNMI,6 June 2007
Lieutenant Governor Timothy Villagomez resigned from office on April 24,2009,following his conviction on federal criminal charges related to fraud while he was a member of the CNMI House of Representatives.[23] Villagomez became the highest ranking CNMI official ever to be convicted in a criminal trial.[23]
Under the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Constitution,when a lieutenant governor vacancy occurs,the governor appoints a successor with the "advice and consent" of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate.[23] Governor Fitial nominated the CNMI Secretary of Finance Eloy Inos to fill the lieutenant governor vacancy on April 27,2009.[24] Fitial and Inos had first met years earlier while both were working for the government of the now defunct Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.[5] Fitial was working as a budget analyst,while Inos was employed as a tax manager for the Trust Territory's revenue division at the time.[5] Inos was unanimously confirmed in a vote by all 9 members of the Senate on Friday,May 1,2009.[25] Inos was sworn into office by Governor Fitial shortly after the Senate vote,becoming the Northern Mariana Islands first unelected Lieutenant Governor.[25]
A minority bloc in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands' House of Representatives filed an impeachment resolution August 28,2012 against Governor Fitial,who was at that time in the United States for the Republican National Convention. The resolution was filed by Joseph Deleon Guerrero,a former Republican who left the party and became an independent. It accused the governor of "multiple felonies,multiple acts of public corruption" and of neglecting official duties. Marianas' Governor Benigno Fitial facing impeachment bid All charges were eventually dismissed.
Governor Benigno Fitial announced in March 2009 that he would seek re-election to a second term in November. [26]
On June 12, 2009, Fitial presided over Covenant Party midterm rally in Susupe with an estimated crowd of approximately 3,000 people in attendance.[27] Fitial and Inos officially filed to run for re-election with the CNMI Election Commission on July 23, 2009, in the presence of nearly 200 family and supporters.[27] In the November 2009 gubernatorial election, Fitial was challenged by the Republican nominee, Heinz Hofschneider, as well as independent candidates Juan Pan Guerrero and Ramon "Kumoi" Guerrero. In March 2009, Fitial had publicly stated that he will retire from politics if his re-election bid was unsuccessful.[28] In the general election, Hofschneider led Fitial by just 8 votes; because none of the candidates won a majority, a runoff between Hofschneider and Fitial was triggered.[29][30] Fitial won the runoff by 370 votes and therefore was re-elected.[31] Due to a newly ratified legislative initiative, Fitial was expected to serve a five-year term, as the next gubernatorial election would now be held in 2014.[31]
Impeachment
Fitial became the first governor in any US insular area and the 13th in the history of the nation to be impeached (February 11, 2013).[1] The CNMI House of Representatives pre-filed 18 Articles of Impeachment against Fitial on the day of their Inauguration (January 14, 2013).[32] They voted to adopt 13 of the Articles of Impeachment on February 11, 2013, and adopted the remaining 5 Articles of Impeachment on February 12, 2013. All 18 charges were transmitted to the Senate where Fitial would have stood trial had he not resigned.
House Votes:
Charge
Yes
No
Abstain
Article 1
Commission of Felony
16
4
0
Article 2
Commission of Felony
16
4
0
Article 3
Commission of Felony
16
4
0
Article 4
Commission of Felony
16
4
0
Article 5
Corruption
16
4
0
Article 6
Corruption
16
4
0
Charge
Yes
No
Abstain
Article 7
Corruption
16
4
0
Article 8
Corruption
16
4
0
Article 9
Corruption
16
4
0
Article 10
Neglect
16
3
1
Article 11
Neglect
16
4
0
Article 12
Neglect
16
4
0
Charge
Yes
No
Abstain
Article 13
Neglect
16
4
0
Article 14
Neglect
16
4
0
Article 15
Neglect
15
4
1
Article 16
Neglect
16
3
1
Article 17
Neglect
16
4
0
Article 18
Neglect
16
4
0
"No" votes: Minority leader George Camacho (R-Saipan), Reps. Felicidad Ogumoro (R-Saipan), Teresita Santos (R-Rota), and Richard Seman (R-Saipan) === except for Article 10 - Rep. George Camacho abstained due to conflict.
"Yes" votes: House Speaker Joseph Deleon Guerrero (IR-Saipan), Vice Speaker Frank Dela Cruz (IR-Saipan), floor leader Ralph Demapan (Cov-Saipan), Reps. Antonio Agulto (IR-Saipan), Anthony Benavente (IR-Saipan), Roman Benavente (IR-Saipan), Trenton Conner (Ind-Tinian), Lorenzo Deleon Guerrero (IR-Saipan), Cris Leon Guerrero (Cov-Saipan), Janet Maratita (IR-Saipan), John P. Sablan (Cov-Saipan), Tony Sablan (IR-Saipan), Mario Taitano (IR-Saipan), Ray Tebuteb (IR-Saipan), Edmund Villagomez (Cov-Saipan), and Ralph Yumul (IR-Saipan) === except for Article 15 - Rep. Roman Benavente abstained unknown reasons.
Juan Nekai Babauta is a Northern Mariana Islander politician who served as the fifth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from January 14, 2002, to January 9, 2006.
The Covenant Party was a political party in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) advocating governmental and financial reform. It was named after the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America, Act of Mar. 24, 1976, Pub. L. 94-241, 90 Stat. 263, codified as amended at 48 U.S.C. § 1801 note. In the legislative elections of 2003, the Covenant Party won nine of eighteen seats. The party mostly made up of members from the Republican Party, but many prominent Democrats would also join the party. In the 2005 general elections, the Covenant Party increased its position as one of the strongest parties in the Commonwealth when Benigno R. Fitial, the party's gubernatorial candidate, won the election. The Covenant Party won seven of eighteen seats in the commonwealth's House of Representatives and three of nine seats in its Senate. In the Commonwealth Legislature 2007 elections, the Covenant Party won only four of twenty seats in the House of Representatives.
The CNMI Republican Party is a political party in the Northern Mariana Islands. The Northern Mariana Islands Republican Party is now associated with the United States Republican Party though no Northern Mariana Islands politicians have achieved high-ranking positions in the mainland United States.
General elections were held in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) on Saturday, 5 November 2005, electing the governor and Legislature. There was also a referendum on calling a Constitutional Convention, which was approved by voters. The gubernatorial election was the closest in the commonwealth's history, and resulted in the election of Benigno Fitial, narrowly defeating independent Heinz Hofschneider by 84 votes and incumbent Republican Governor Juan N. Babauta by an additional 98 votes. This would be the last year that the gubernatorial race would work in a first-past-the-post voting system as it would be reformed to work under a two-round system for the 2009 general elections. This election made commonwealth history by electing both the territory's first Carolinian governor and its first third party governor.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 3, 2009, in the states of New Jersey and Virginia, as well as in the U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on November 7, 2009. Both state governorships were previously held by Democrats elected in 2005, and both were won by Republicans in 2009; the local Covenant Party maintained control of the governorship of the Marianas. These elections formed part of the 2009 United States elections. As of 2024, this is the last election after which the Democratic party held a majority of governorships.
The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the United States insular area of the Northern Mariana Islands:
The 2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election was held on Saturday, November 7, 2009. This was the last general election to be held on a odd year. This election also saw the extension all office holding officials by one year to move the elections to even-years, corresponding with the elections of other federal and state offices, including the nationwide United States House of Representatives elections and the United States general elections. This election also oversaw the first run-off to be held in the Northern Mariana Islands, which were held on Monday, November 23, 2009. Benigno Fitial became the first governor to win a second term since 1985 and the first time a candidate won a majority since 1993 thanks to the newly implemented run-off voting system.
Eulogio "Eloy" Songao Inos was a Northern Marianan politician who served as the seventh governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from 2013 to 2015. Inos, a member of the Republican Party, also served as the eighth lieutenant governor from 2009 to 2013.
Rita Hocog Inos was a Northern Mariana Island educator, activist and politician. Inos was the former Education Commissioner of the Northern Marianas school system and served on the Northern Marianas College Board of Regents. Inos was a two-time candidate for Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, becoming the first woman to seek election to that particular office.
Heinz Sablan Hofschneider is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands. Hofschneider served as the Speaker of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004 and is a four-time candidate for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Jesus "Jesse" Camacho Borja is a Northern Mariana Islander politician and lawyer who served as the fourth lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from January 10, 1994 until January 12, 1998 under former Democratic Governor Froilan Tenorio.
Diego Tenorio Benavente is a Northern Mariana Islander politician who served as the sixth lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from January 14, 2002 to January 9, 2006, under former Governor Juan Babauta.
General elections were held in the Northern Mariana Islands on 4 November, 2014. Voters elected the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, the Delegate to the US Congress, the Senate, the House of Representatives, mayors, municipal councils and the Board of Education. Additionally, a referendum involving changes to the constitution was held.
The 2014 Northern Mariana Islands gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. As no candidate received a majority of the vote, a run-off election was held 14 days later. Incumbent Republican Governor Eloy Songao Inos and running mate Ralph DLG. Torres were elected. Inos, who served as lieutenant governor from 2009 to 2013, first became Governor following the resignation of his predecessor, Benigno Fitial.
Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres is a Northern Marianan politician, who served as the eighth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, from December 29, 2015, to January 9, 2023. He is a Republican from Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The third longest-serving governor in CNMI history, Torres took office upon the death of Governor Eloy Inos on December 29, 2015, before being reelected as governor in his own right in 2018. He previously served as the tenth lieutenant governor, having been elected to that post in 2014.
The 2018 Northern Mariana gubernatorial election took place on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, to elect the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands to a four-year term in office. Incumbent Republican governor Ralph Torres, who ascended to governorship in December 2015 following the death of Governor Eloy Inos, sought election to a full term.
The 2022 Northern Mariana gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022 to elect the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and the lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands to a four-year term in office. Because no candidate received 50% of the vote in the general election, the two highest-placing candidates advanced to a runoff election on November 25, 2022.
David Mundo Apatang is a Northern Mariana Islander politician who is serving as the 13th lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands since 2023. He previously served as the mayor of Saipan from January 12, 2015 to January 8, 2023. As a Republican, Apatang formerly served in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives. Apatang was elected lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in the 2022 election on an independent ticket headed by Arnold Palacios.
General elections were held in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) on 3 November 2001, electing the governor and members to the legislature. The 2001 elections marked the last general election that the dissolved Reform Party, which merged back into the Democratic Party in 2002, would appear on the ballot. Despite the economic hardships experienced under Pedro Pangelinan Tenorio's Administration, the apparent strength the 1999 general elections signaled that the Democratic Party and its splinter Reform Party had, and the newly formed Covenant Party which was formed as a splinter party from the ruling Republican Party, Republican candidate Juan Nekai Babauta won with a landslide in the four-way race. Benigno Repeki Fitial's newly formed Covenant Party landed a distant yet sizable second place. Jesus Borja of the Democratic Party won a distant third and Froilan Tenorio of the Reform Party placed fourth.
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