ENG: Benigno Repeki Fitial (born November 27, 1945) is the current governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Fitial was elected on November 6, 2005 and assumed office on January 9, 2006.
Fitial, a former Republican, founded the Covenant Party in 2001.
Political career
Fitial worked as a budget analyst for the government of the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. He also worked as a former executive for Tan Holdings Corporation, which was the largest garment manufacturer in the Northern Mariana Islands at the time.
Fitial is a former member of the Republican Party, and even served as the chairman of the Republican Party in the CNMI.
Fitial left the Republican Party, and founded his own political party, the Covenant Party in 2001. He used the Covenant ...
Congressman Eni Faleomavaega (D - American Samoa), Governor Benigno Fitial of the Northern Mariana Islands, Governor Togiola Tulafono of American Samoa meet in Washington D.C. , positive
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said yesterday the early voting issues-voter intimidation, fraud, and increased cost of the election-were the reasons why he vetoed the measure in the first place, and he now challenges lawmakers who overrode his veto to “step forward and explain their actions to the public.”Fitial vetoed the bill allowing for early voting, or voting 10 days prior to Election Day.However, the House and the Senate overrode the veto, citing the need to reform CNMI election laws to conform with federal requirements, but vowed to introduce a separate bill addressing ...
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said he would also like to have a desk audit on the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Health mainly because they are key revenue-generating government agencies, even as his administration has yet to decide on the desk audit recommendations for the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.The Fitial administration still has in its custody some $100,000 in leftover funds from a $360,000 U.S. Office of Insular Affairs grant. Of the total amount, $254,459.12 was used to audit DPS and DCCA, through ...
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial may sign into law a marijuana bill should it come to his table, but only if the intent is to legalize it only for medicinal use. Just the same, the governor is not optimistic that the bill will pass the Senate. And the governor's right-the Senate is poised to defeat it next week.Senate President Paul Manglona (R-Rota) said yesterday that the Senate will disapprove the marijuana legalization bill in its session next week.“It's for the same reasons I mentioned before,” he told Saipan Tribune, referring to concerns about marijuana use's impact on CNMI ...